


A New Journey

by GroovyKat



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Torchwood(s), F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-07
Updated: 2017-01-24
Packaged: 2018-04-08 04:53:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 74
Words: 289,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4291485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GroovyKat/pseuds/GroovyKat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose Tyler and Tentoo have to come to terms with being left behind by the Doctor on Bad Wolf Bay and look to begin a new journey as just Doctor and Rose domesticated. But a message delivered across the winds and buried in the sands of the Bay suggests to Rose that her original journey is far from over.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Bad Wolf Bay

**Author's Note:**

> This was my very first Doctor Who Fanfic so it was convoluted and all over the place. Lots of stuff happened. But. The story will be reworked, cleaned up and sections rewritten before posting here.

She sensed his presence beside her long before she felt his soft hand find hers. She shuddered as she felt the familiar slide of his fingers thread between hers. She gasped as she felt the supportive squeeze of his hand strengthen around hers as the TARDIS gave a final wheeze and then screeched to disappear completely from view. The despondent look she saw in his eyes as she tilted her face to look up at him mirrored the despair in her own.

"I _hate_ him," she breathed after a moment.

He gave her hand a sharp tug to pull her close and released it to wrap his arms tightly around her shoulders. "No you don't," he corrected softly against her hair.

She sniffed wetly against the lapel of his blue blazer and moved flush against him as she threaded her arms under his to complete their embrace. "How could he … you? Why?"

A shudder ran through his body at the question and he cleared his throat with a rattle as he lightly pulled back. His head cocked to one side and he spoke while regarding her with a look through his lashes. "Well. That's about five potential questions in one…"

"Two questions," she corrected softly as she wiped at her nose with the base of her thumb.  "Only two."

"Ahh. Yes, but there are multiple questions requiring answers inside of those five words, Rose Tyler." He took a breath and shrugged as he released her and his hands found their way into his trouser pockets. "I know _why_ , but I don’t really think that it’s my place to explain _his_ decisions."

She huffed lightly and looked up at him through whipping blonde hair, too exhausted to try to pull it back from her face. "He didn't even say goodbye," she charged sadly. "Just dumped us here in the middle of nowhere, over a thousand miles away from home. We have no transport, nothing. What was he thinking ?" She looked to the sand and shook her head. "Was he even thinking? Was he really so eager to offload us that he just picked the first place that came into his head."

"Seemed as good a place as any, I suppose," The Doctor answered quietly. He looked around a moment and then expelled a breath and shook his head as he contemplated their current situation. "Brilliant," he finally huffed a pained laugh. "Just bloody brilliant he is."

Rose peered up into his face. "Would you have chosen this place; or would you have taken a second to look for another breach to set us down in?"

" _Well_ ," he answered quickly in a manner very typical when he decided to answer before actually having an answer to offer. He paused in thought and then let out a breath. "If I was in his place, then probably here." He gave her an apologetic look. "Bad Wolf Bay is ingrained in my mind. I wouldn't think of anywhere else."

"Would _you_ have sent me away like this?"

He shook his head. "I don't think I could." He scratched the back of his head. "I'm more of the mind to just grab your hand, drag you back into the TARDIS and then take us off somewhere into the deepest part of the Time Vortex and not come out for the next decade or so." He cleared his throat. " _But_. But that's the human part of me talking. Thinking. Declaring war against the Timelord mentality I've cultured since I was a loomling. I'm free of that responsibility now, so I can say _to Hell with it_ and indulge a bit."

She raked her fingers through her fringe to hold the wildly blowing hair from her face. She had to look past her forearm and elbow to see him. "Responsibility," she managed flatly. "Responsibility, _what_ , to be the almighty decider of everyone else’s fate and …" Rose paused at his chuckle. "Am I saying something amusing?"

He shook his head innocently. "I actually agree with you…"

"…Like that is such an unbelievable scenario," she challenged in frustration.

"I never said it was," he answered quickly. "I'm actually amused because I've finally realized that what everyone says about me is actually very accurate. I truly can be a self righteous, arrogant, pompous ass." He let one brow fall and rubbed at the back of his head. "A know-it-all…"

"Who thinks he knows better than anyone else," Rose finished sharply for him. "There's no discussion, no _what do you think about this idea_ , just _this is it, this is my decision and by Rassilon you're all going to agree with me._ Bloody Wanker. _"_

His eyes were wide and sharp, almost comical. "That's. That's not nice, Rose."

"It's true."

"Didn't Jackie ever tell you that if you don't have something nice to say…"

"Oh, she can say what she wants, that one." Jackie called across the beach in response. She was part-way through a phone call to Pete, but was listening intently to the conversation between the pair. "I agree with her. You've always had a bit of that holier-than-thou attitude about 'ya."

"Thanks, Jackie," he groaned out.

"You're welcome, Love. Now if you two are finished, maybe we can get ourselves a room for the night and find something to eat? I'm dying for a cuppa after that trip."

"Go ahead Mum," Rose called back. "I reckon I'm gonna stay here a bit longer and try and wrap my head around some things if that's okay." She looked back to where the TARDIS once stood. Her voice softened to an almost imperceptible whisper. "I want to try to understand why this happened." She winced as confused tears rolled down her cheek. "I don't understand. Did I do something wrong?"

The Doctor stepped to her side and let his hand find hers once more. "I'm sorry, Rose. I'm so sorry."

"Why are _you_ apologizing _?_ He abandoned you too."

"Don't look at it as being abandoned, Rose," he said softly with a glance down at their hands. "You have a good life here. You've got your mother, your brother, father. You have everything you need."

She snorted lightly. "And what did he leave you with? What do you have?"

"You," he answered hopefully. "I do have you, yeah?"

She leaned against his side and tightened her grip on his hand. "You always have, Doctor." She felt him exhale in relief and closed her eyes. "But is it still fair for him to just leave you like this?"

"Well, depending on who answers that question you could get a dozen different responses." He took a breath and looked to the sand. "He'd say yes, that it was more than fair – given that I'd just committed genocide without a second thought, and therefore must be dangerous. If you ask his DoctorDonna, she have much the same response – and obviously she did given that she didn't argue, and who would against the _Doctor_ the almighty … Oh! Am I really talking that way about myself, oh, uh, _him_?"

Rose couldn't even fake a snort. "I don't want to hear about what _they_ think. Tell me how _you_ feel about it."

"I don't even know where to start," he admitted softly. "One, I have you. It's the Doctor and Rose Tyler, the way it should be." He glanced down at her and gave a weak smile. "This, all in itself, is reason enough to be able to accept this outright." He then cast his eyes to the void left by the TARDIS and let out a longing sigh. "And then. _Well_. I was a Time Lord; a traveler through time and space. For centuries the TARDIS has been my home – my life – and now I've been stripped of all that. Now I'm not Time Lord, I don't have my TARDIS. I'm left here to live the slow life, to age and to die. To never reach out and touch the edge of the Universe again." A tear tracked down his cheek and he cleared his throat. " _But_ ," he hissed with fake enthusiasm. "It's a new adventure, I suppose. A new life. Maybe it's time."

"No it's not," she challenged softly. "And who is _he_ to decide your path like that?" She turned on him. "What makes _him_ the great decider of your fate? He's your family. You were born from _him_. If that makes him your father or your brother, I dunno, but it doesn't give him the right to decide that you're a liability to him that has to be dumped on someone else."

"Oh please don't tell me that's how you feel about me."

"What?"

"That I've just been dumped on you. A burden…"

"Hell no," she snapped as she grabbed hold of his lapels and rose up on her toes to be eye-to-eye with him. "If I was given the choice right here, right now, as to who I would choose to be with for the rest of my existence, it would be you." She wobbled a little on her toes and was grateful when he set his hands on her hips to steady her. "In the ten minutes we've been stranded here together, I've already determined that you are the greater man." She stepped back and waved her hand as she turned toward the water. "I dunno. It's probably cause you've got human in ya. The pompous Time Lord side of you's been kicked to the curb in favour of humanity or something like that."

He remained silent as he watched her kick at the water's edge.

Her aggression shifted to quiet sorrow. "You said you wouldn't do it, Doctor. You told me you wouldn't just dump me off when you were sick of me."

He winced. "Oh, Rose."

She turned to him, eyes flared with her anger resurfacing. "You told me that I could spend the rest of my life with you. I thought that I mattered to you – that what you and me had was special." She clenched her eyes tightly together. "But not only did you just go ahead and dump me, you dumped me in another bloody parallel with no hope at all of ever seeing you again. You left me without even looking back. No good bye, no _thanks for everything_ , nothing. Everyone that came after me means more to you than I do."

"No, Rose. That's not true," He assured urgently.

“He chose Donna over me, Doctor.” She pressed the butts of her hands into her eyes. “I was kicked out of the TARDIS like a piece of garbage. Like I was nothing.”

"You're everything." He grabbed at her arms to hold her steady in front of him. "You have no idea how much it destroyed me when I lost you." He released her and pressed his palm into his forehead in frustration. "Me: The Doctor. The great Oncoming Storm! The man who has entire species run in fear at the mention of his name … Destroyed by a pink and yellow human girl." His palm skidded down his face to drop at his side. "I'm not supposed to fall in love, Rose. It's not something I ever felt that I deserved, but it happened, and …" He stopped as he raised his hand to look at it as though sand fell through his fingers. "And when it slipped from my hand. When I lost you." He swallowed and snapped his eyes to hers. "All I wanted was to have you back. When I got your message, I couldn't get back to Earth fast enough."

"If that's so true," she challenged softly, "then why was I dumped here? Why wasn't I given the choice like everyone else was? Why did I have to get locked away from everything with no chance at all of …" She inhaled a shaking breath and looked at the overcast sky above her head. "This!" She swept her arm around the air in front of her. "This. This _brilliant_ decision of his defies what you're saying. All it says to me is that everyone else is _something_. I'm nothing. I'm not even worth being allowed to live in the parallel as the others – as _him_. I have to live here – in an unfamiliar world, with a life I don't even want – because _he_ thinks that's what has to happen."

His mouth opened and closed as he frantically thought of the words that could help. His head shook from side to side as his brows twisted in a frown. "Rose, I…"

She launched at him, her fists pounding at his chest. "How could you do this to me? After everything I went through to escape this place. All of my efforts to be free, to be back where I belong." Her eyes met his. "I saved your damn life, twice!" She punched at his shoulder. "I saved you from the Dalek Emperor. I risked my own life to save yours. I walked the space between worlds to make sure that Donna took the right turn to make sure that she was in the right place at the right time, so that your life could be saved and so that she could warn you that something was coming…" Her glare darkened. "You're _welcome_ , by the way." She hissed with another punch at his shoulder. "And what do I get? I get sent home like a petulant child, like I was nothing more than the pretty face that graced the rooms of the TARDIS until something better came along." Her shoulders shook and she finally fell against him, sobbing as he drew his arms tightly around her shuddering form.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He held her yet tighter. "I'm so very sorry."

"I hate you," she managed softly.

"I love you," he returned sadly. "And you have my word that if there is any way at all for me to fix this, I will."

"Stop making promises," she breathed. "You can't ever keep them."

"I'm a new man, Rose."

"And apparently a dangerous one at that," she sighed softly. "So dangerous that you can't stay with the Doctor, but you're okay to stay with me. How's that supposed to make sense in all of this?"

He dared to chuckle against her hair. "You're right. In his mind I'm so dangerous that not even UNIT or Torchwood can be tasked with babysitting me. The brilliant Rose Tyler, however. _Oh-h-h_ , but she can tame this beast like no other." He drew himself back to look into her face. "And you say you're nothing special. Not even the almighty Oncoming Storm himself can handle me. _Well_ , not that I can blame him, really. Next time I see him – if I see him – I'll probably punch him into his next regeneration." He looked thoughtful. "Speaking of regenerations. How many does the old boy have left? I do wonder if the aborted regeneration counts as one. Twelve is the standard package with Regenerations, and I'm number ten – well, number eleven, really, not that I really count nine, but I suppose that I have to in terms of regenerative considerations…" He paused at her amused look. "I was rambling, wasn't I?" He slumped. "I've got to work on that."

"I've missed your rambling." Rose rolled onto her toes and pressed a kiss against his mouth. "I've missed _you_."

"And you too, Rose Tyler," he practically cheered as he hugged and hauled her off the ground. His face was alight as he set her feet back on the ground, but it quickly fell to an expression of promise. "I know that you're unhappy with the cards you've been dealt, but I give you my word that we'll make this _brilliant_. The Doctor and Rose Tyler together again, living the slow life together. Just think. A Home. Carpets. Windows. Marriage, children, a mortgage." The last word was spoken with a considerable amount of pain. "Which means a job. An actual job. Doing what? _Well_ that is a conundrum."

Rose gave a slight shrug. "I'm a millionaire's kid, a trust fund brat. You don't need a job _or_ a mortgage, I've got us more than covered." She dared smile playfully. "I'm your sugar-mama. And that had better not have been a proposal, Doctor."

He gave a wide, open mouth laugh. "In time _my_ Rose Tyler. In good time your proposal will come." He turned sharply at Jackie Tyler’s voice calling to them as she walked back across the beach toward them. "Oh, here's trouble. She doesn't look happy."

"Can you hold her off a moment," Rose asked softly. "I just want to take a quick moment here."

"Of course." He cupped her cheek and gave her a smile. "Your wish is my command."

Her face lit up with a tongue in teeth smile of teasing. "The last time you said that to me we had reapers and paradoxes and…"

"Oh. Now, Rose Tyler." His boyish smile was firmly in place. "At the end of it all we had good fun, yeah? It all worked out in the end – as it always does." He tapped at her nose with the tip of his finger. "And you learned a very valuable lesson about playing with timelines, didn't you?"

She gave him a nod and turned back to look upon the indent of the TARDIS in the sand. Her calm hinted at fury as she strode forward and lowered herself to her knees in the dirt.

"You don't get to decide my fate," she hissed quietly toward the open space that once held the TARDIS. "That right is mine, and mine alone." Her eyes fell to a lump in the sand, and she felt warmth wash across her cheeks and eyes.

_Bad Wolf._

The words sang across the breeze.

Her breath caught. "Oh,” she asked the breeze softly. “My story isn't over, is it?"

_Bad Wolf._

The words circled around her, tickled at her fingers, and drew them toward the coral nestled in the sand. _You are the Bad Wolf._

She gingerly curled her fingers around the lump of coral and exhaled a heated breath as the piece shimmered gold in her hand. Images flooded her mind and left her breathless on her knees as realization dawned and her future's path became apparent. _Apparent_ , and _terrifying_.

"Why me?" she moaned. " _He_ left me here. He doesn't want me, doesn't want _my_ help. Ask one of his other _saviours_ to do this."

A haunted and longing howl swept along the beach as the coral warmed inside her hand.

She inhaled a shaking breath as she saw through golden light what she was being told to do. The journey to get there would be long, but the task was clear. She had no choice but to answer.

Her voice was haunted as she shuddered out the words. "I am the Bad Wolf."

"Rose?"

His voice was gentle over her shoulder, and it shook her from her reverie. She sniffed wetly and turned her head to meet his eyes. "I'm fine."

His voice was soft. "Come here." He drew his hand around her waist and guided her to a stand. "Let get of this beach before the both of us go crazy."

"I thought we already were," she teased softly as she hid the piece of coral into the pocket of her jacket. She frowned as she looked into the distance. "Where's Mum?"

"She left for the hotel." His voice took on a far-away tone. "Had to finalize the reservations because we're going to be here for a couple of days."

"Okay." She pursed her lips and let out a breath. "Are we all staying in the same room?"

"Yes."

"Awkward."

"I am trying to consider any possible branch inside of the timeline that points us toward a non-awkward scenario."

"No, luck?"

He pressed his lips tightly together and shook his head. “Nope. Sorry.”

“Has she given you the _hands_ off policy discussion, yet?”

He winced and cleared his throat. “There is a list words I never wished to ever hear come out of your mother’s mouth, Rose. Particularly when it came to my mind’s eye about what kinds of things I would like to do, uhm, _with_ you.” He swallowed thickly. “She managed to tick off all but one.”

“Oh God,” she moaned. “I’m so sorry.”

He nodded and swallowed again, deliberately keeping his eyes locked on the buildings in front of them. “It’s okay. I’m sure I won’t hear her voice in my head at any point during the moments that I may hope to steal with you in the coming days.”

The squeak in his voice, and his absolute horrified discomfort actually brought the slightest of smiles to her lips. “Is this where I tell you that her voice has this superhuman way of entering your thoughts at any time that you’re doing the exact thing that she told you that you weren’t supposed to do?”

He coughed. “Oh. Then my life is over,” he groused playfully. “Done. Finished. The list I just received from her about the dos and don’ts of dating her daughter. A _list_ , Rose. She has a _list_.””

“Oh good for her.” She slid her eyes up to his face and leaned against him as they walked. "So? Does that mean you want to date me, Doctor?”

“I had considered it,” he mused with a scratch at his sideburn. “I _was_ considering it.”

“Oh don’t let her scare you, Doctor. You know she loves you.”

“That’s what scares me.”

 


	2. Planet Douchebag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose and the Doctor run into a little trouble, and discussions about unfortunate namings of planets and growing a TARDIS follow

Rose Tyler's brow was taught and her breath haggard as she rounded a corner to press her back up against a wall to hide. She could barely hear over the rush of blood and pounding of her heart in her ears, but she could certainly detect the excited boyish giggle of the man who fell against the wall beside her.

"How is it," she managed between pants, "that a completely benign, ordinary, normal daily activity morphs into something oh-so not normal or benign when you're involved?"

"Oh," he began on an extended breath through a smile. "You know."

She winced and grit her teeth at the thunder of footfalls bounding past their place in the alleyway. As the sound eked off to give her freedom to loudly expel her held breath, Rose shot a look at her companion. "Really, Doctor," she demanded shortly. "Really?"

"Oh yes," he threw back with a grin that challenged her dark glare. "Just what I needed to get the old synapses firing and the heart pumping." His grin stretched across both cheeks and he practically growled with pleasure as he looked down at their hands – joined the moment they began to run. "I've missed this!"

Rose's jaw dropped. "Missed? Doctor! You could have gotten us killed!"

He waved a dismissive hand at her words and shook his head. "It was unlikely that they would resort to capital action against us." His lips pursed a moment and he continued. "Bodily harm is a more likely scenario, but I really can't see them taking a murder charge over a…" he finally registered the absolute furious glare being levelled his way and had the courtesy to shrink just a little bit. "Oh. You're mad."

"Oh, ya _think_?"

He tilted his head to one side. "Oh dear. We're about to have our first argument, aren't we?"

Rose's eyes widened as she let out a cough of disbelief. "What?"

He released her hand to slide his hands deep into his trouser pockets and rolled back onto the heels of his Converse shoes. His expression was like that of a wounded child. "I was only trying to protect you, Rose."

"Protect me?" she scoffed incredulously. "Tell me how accusing them of being aliens from … from, where again?"

He moaned as he lowevered his head and stretched his thumb and forefinger across his eyes. "The planet Douchebag in the constellation Wanker," he muttered softly. His eyes shot up pleadingly. "And those words have _very_ different meanings to the inhabitants on that constellation than here on Earth."

She tapped her foot on the ground. "And just _which_ planet are we on right now?"

He rolled his eyes and then his head to the sky in frustration. "The leader of that group had the typical beady eyes, scaled lips, and rotund mid section that is typical of the Douchebag. As were the markings on his arm." He pointed to his own pinstripe-clad forearm. "The more markings one has on his arm, the higher their ranking in the hierarchy of the Douchebag, and depending upon which part of the planet that you're from, such marks can mean they are elevated to an almost regal status." He exhaled sharply and shifted his eyes to hers, immediately noting that she appeared to be biting her lips to shield her amusement. "Add to that the smell, which is particularly noxious if you aren't a Douche, but is apparently a sweet and torturous aphrodisiac to a female douchebag."

Her laugh burst through her lips, which sprayed a light mist of spittle in the Doctor's face. She struggled to inhale as the laugh drained her completely and refused to ebb, and found herself forced to seek assistance from the Doctor. He gave her a hearty slap on her back, which allowed her a deep inhale.

"How do you keep it together sometimes," she asked breathlessly. "I mean, come on, even _you_ have to find the humour in that."

The doctor shook his head with his serious expression lengthening his face. "I see nothing amusing about another civilization and the honour they feel about who they are and what they stand for." He gave an exasperated sigh. "You humans. You butcher your own language!" He pointed an accusing finger at her. "You all have get in and change the meaning of words that have existed in benign forms for centuries and turn it into something crude and insulting. You damn well confuse everyone else. Do you even know what the word _Douche_ actually means?

She ignored the rant. "What would a planet called Douchebag even be like?"

His expression quickly shifted from frustrated to wistful. "Oh. It's beautiful. The Planet Douchebag is a planet of peace and harmony, with beautiful golden sands along their coastlines, crystal clear waters with gentle lapping waves that roll so gently around your ankles. So warm. Oh, you'd love it, Rose. You really would." He suddenly cleared his throat and let his expression fall into a tight frown. "But, they're not particularly keen on the Time Lords of Gallifrey and inter, uh…"

Rose wore an expression conveying interest and amusement. "Would that be _all_ Time Lords of Gallifrey, or just one Time Lord in particular?"

He didn't need to answer. His suddenly guilty expression and tightly pursed lips gave her all the answers she needed. But how could she _not_ press him further. "Well?"

The Doctor peeled off the wall and walked around the space of the alley way with one hand in his trouser pocket, and the other circling the air expressively ahead of him. "Well, okay. Me. Just me. I was investigating a report of a rogue band of douchebags preparing to infiltrate and take over the main royal compound on a neighbouring planet. The Bintarra clan had asked me to look into things and see if I could either put a stop to it all or negotiate a peaceful resolution."

"Obviously you didn't go with the peaceful option."

He shot her a wide-eyed look. "Oh yes, actually I did. We did manage to come up with quite the peaceful pact."

"But?"

He could read the amusement in her tone – read that she could probably imagine what was to follow.

He winced. " _Well_." The word was extended rather dramatically. "There was a young Douchebag lady who kind of took a fancy to me." He swallowed a gulp. "She was the daughter of the head of the rebellion, and well, let's just say that there are very specific rules on that planet regarding interspecies relations that I wasn't exactly aware of at the time."

"Oh you didn't," she moaned in amusement.

"I was in my sixth regeneration, I was young and stupid."

"And now have an entire planet of douchebags gunning for you." She huffed a laugh through a wide mouth. "Brilliant!"

"I'm thrilled that you're so amused by it," he deadpanned as he slid his hand into hers and tugged lightly in request for her to walk with him.

She leaned into him as they walked out of the alleyway and continued on their original path. Her voice was low and soft when she finally decided to clear the silence between them. "Can I ask you a question?"

He rolled his shoulder feigning annoyance. "Provided it isn't about Douchebags and whether or not I might have partaken in some of the local," he cleared his throat, "attractions."

Rose snorted, amused. "No. We can move beyond that for now." She licked at her lip. "Well, unless you want to tell me who does it better: Douchebags or Humans."

He moaned in discomfort. "How do you even compare? They have a completely _different_ way of expressing their, uhm, desires than you Humans do." He looked thoughtful. "So, for that matter do Gallifreyans, come to mention it." He heard her peep of curiosity and shook his head. "It would be impossible for me to effectively illustrate Gallifreyan lovemaking to you."

She stopped suddenly and tugged his hand to stop him. Curiosity abounded in her eyes. "I had never considered that you guys might do things a little differently to us. Is it. Does it feel the same, I mean as _good_ as with a human?"

" _Oh yes_. Yes. Very much so." He clutched her hand a little tighter and tugged on his ear with his free hand. "It's not quite as messy, sweaty, sticky, or as loud as it is with a Human, of course."

"Could you please say that with a little less disgust in your voice, Doctor," she managed with a shake of her head. "Lest you offend me and my messy, sticky, sweaty methods of love making."

"You forgot loud," he added. Then he chuckled through a wide toothy grin. "I never said that it was a lower-class method of expressing ones desire. There's something to be said about looking down at my beautiful pink and yellow human and seeing her all messed, panting, flushed and gasping for breath." He winked. "And to be put in the same class as your chosen deity. _Well_." He winked with a click of air from his cheek. "That's quite something."

"And you are quite good at it, just so you know, considering it's not quite what you're used to and all."

" _That's_ good to know." He kissed her on the temple as they walked. "So, what was your question?"

"My what?"

They stood at the corner waiting for the light to change, and it gave them a moment to face each other. He tucked her hair behind her ear. "You had a question, and I will gather that it wasn't really about who shags better: Gallifreyans or Humans."

"Oh yes," she said with a chuckle as she looked to the lights as they changed and tugged him across the road. "I had a question about the TARDIS."

"Ooh," he breathed through pursed lips. "A question I can actually answer and not get embarrassed about answering. Shoot."

"They are grown, yeah?"

He nodded. "Slow grown, actually. They can take a thousand years to take one from a piece of coral to a flyable machine."

“Your TARDIS, how old was she?”

“Oh. Well.” His eyes widened and he blew out a long breath. "My TARDIS. She wasn’t a young girl, that’s for sure. When I took her, she was ready for the scrap yard – or a museum. I prefer museum for her. Very distinguished and she deserves to be looked upon with awe and wonder.”

Rose leaned against him as they walked, tightening her hold on his hand. "You miss her, don't you?"

He nodded sadly. "She was mine though ten regenerations, the only being I've had with me through each of my lives."

"She loves you, you know that, yeah?"

He gave a light chuckle. "She didn't always love her thief, but I think she finally took to this old time traveler. Over 700 years we were together. We really only had each other when you think about it. Companions came and went, and life moved on for TARDIS and I." He looked down his shoulder at her. "Until you, of course. She had a bit of a soft spot for you too, I believe, _Rose Tyler_ ," he teased.

Rose simply nodded in thought. "And so, if one was to accelerate the growth, in a parallel universe that the original ship couldn't draw power from, what level of power would be required." She looked up into his surprised face. "I mean, yeah, there are other kinds of intricate steps involved to accelerate its growth to make it flyable within a human lifetime, but you'd also need some kind of brilliant energy source to kick it all in, right?"

He stopped them in the middle of the street and held her arms lightly to ensure he had her full attention. "What are you talking about? It's not possible to accelerate the growth of a TARDIS in that short of a time frame. Even if it was a possibility and accelerated growth could be achieved, it would still take at least a half millennia to bring it to maturity."

"Well," she began with a tip of her ear toward her shoulder in a brilliantly innocent gesture. "I kind of, maybe, heard somewhere that if you can obtain a piece of TARDIS coral, then shatterfry the plasmic shell and modify the dimensional stabilizer to a foldback harmonic of, uhm, 36.3, then you can accelerate the growth by the power of 59 – 'bout a year or so in human time, if my math is right – and that's always up for debate." She bit on her thumbnail, trying hard not to make eye contact with the man in front of her whose breath was quickening and whose hold on her arms was tightening. "I was just wondering what power source would be required to sustain that level of growth."

She hiccupped as his mouth crashed down on hers and she felt him walk them both back toward a wall. His hands cupped either side of her face and he dipped at his knees to lower his height and bring them to the same level. And then, as his hands dropped to draw her leg over his hip…

_"Oh for God's sake – Get a room or something will ya!"_

It was Rose who tore away from the passionate embrace. She quickly stepped away from the Doctor and brushed herself down in embarrassment. "Yeah," she choked with a wave of her hand. "Sorry 'bout that." She looked back to the Doctor, who had one hand over his face and was in a side lean against the wall. Slowly he folded his arms across his chest, and she noted the still-darkened look in his eyes. "Just _what_ brought that on?"

"Just _when_ did you take up Gallifreyan language studies." He suddenly looked up toward the sky in confusion. "I didn't even know there _were_ Gallifreyean language studies."

"And as usual," she challenged with a point of her finger. "You're not making any sense."

He dropped his eyes and a single brow to regard her carefully. "You just spoke to me in perfect Gallifreyan, Rose."

"No I didn't."

His look morphed to one of concern. "Yes you did, Rose. You just offered me the solution to accelerated TARDIS growth in accent-perfect High Gallifreyan." He dipped his head lightly. "That's the language of the Time Lord, Rose, not the native language of child of Gallifrey, but of the TARDIS and the Lords of Time, a language that can take centuries to master."

She cleared her throat uncomfortably. "And is apparently an aphrodisiac to former Time Lords."

He nodded with wide eyes. "Well, yes. It is. To some degree." He took her hands in his. "I haven't heard my language spoken in such a long time, not without the electric buzz inside a recording."

"Oh," she breathed.

"And so," he practically sang. "To hear those words fall so perfectly from your lips Rose. I'm sorry, but it just pushed at something primal inside me, and I couldn't …" He stopped suddenly. "Hold on. How did you learn that," he queried carefully. "I know that I haven't taught you any, and I’m the only one in this world besides you that even knows that Gallifrey existed."

She thought off the cuff and shrugged. "You talk in your sleep?" She tapped at her temple. "You have that freaky mind tampering thing happening and are subliminally putting thoughts and equations in my head."

"Not buying it," he replied with a huff. "I don't subliminally do anything. In your face, I am, in case you've never noticed." he brought his face close to hers and scrutinized the set of her eyes. "But something's taken hold of your thoughts," he offered quietly as he put his glasses on to look deeper. "Something hidden within the mind of Rose Tyler that wants to be heard."

Her stomach took that opportunity to grumble.

The Doctor took a deep breath and snapped up quickly to a stand as he whipped off his glasses and deftly folded and pocketed them in a single movement. "Then again. Maybe I do talk in my sleep. Makes sense, _really_. There isn't enough time in a human day to talk about everything I want to talk about. Losing my TARDIS has probably got the brain trying to work up some workable scenarios to make me feel better, or something." He put his arm over her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. "It's nice to know that you've been listening, though."

"Yeah."

He cleared his throat and dropped his head to look through his brows as they continued on their path. "To answer your question, though. Nothing on this planet," he said with a sigh.

She chewed at her lip a moment, and then spoke. "What do you mean, nothing. There's plenty of power sources here that could be _Doctored_ to work, right?"

He shook his head. "The power of the TARDIS exceeds all of the power combined on this Earth," he said with a long exhale. "She flies through time and space, not drive up the street to your mum's place." He blew out a breath and widened his eyes to consider it. "If I was still a Time Lord I could probably do it, give up a regeneration and that would be enough power to take her through the growth process until she could sustain her own power. Then again, new parallel universe, where no residual Gallifreyan energies exist, it's more than likely that you'd require a multiple regenerative blast from two or maybe up to three Time Lords to make it happen."

She let out a long huff. "I see."

"And then, of course, you have the additional concern of whether the TARDIS _wants_ to grow."

"Wants?"

"And then the Vortex? Where would you find any essence of the Vortex to power her?" He dropped his hand from her shoulder and took her hand in his. "TARDIS' are, _were_ , grown on Gallifrey, which is where the gateway to the time Vortex existed. With no Gallifrey, no Time Lord power, and no Vortex, it would be impossible to cultivate a TARDIS." He finally registered her query and shrugged. "I've told you that the TARDIS was a sentient being."

She nodded lightly.

"Well, the decision to grow and become a fully functional TARDIS is theirs and theirs alone. It's not like you can go and tear a chunk of a TARDIS and expect to grow your own just like that." He sighed. "It simply doesn't work that way. You could end up with a very pretty coral tree in your back yard, but your chances of a functional TARDIS? Not likely."

"That's distressing."

His voice took on a slightly hopeful sound. "Are you perhaps asking because you knicked a bit of the TARDIS and hope to grow our own?"

She answered with an uncomfortable chuckle. "When did I have time to even consider that option? I didn't think that he was going to just leave us here like he did." She sighed. "I just want to learn all about you, that's all. Your life, your history, everything."

"Because I am so very fascinating," he teased softly.

"Very."

Silence fell upon them as they continued to walk along the footpath, hand in hand. The Doctor exuded awe and curiosity as he took in his surroundings. Rose gave the opposite impression. She chewed nervously on her fingernail and looked around with an almost timid gait. It wasn't until they reached their destination that her confidence seemed to return.

The Doctor looked up at the glimmering tower lording above them, and found that he couldn't quite help but remark on the heavy dark grey clouds that seemed to circle the spire at the very top. "Doom and gloom seems to surround this building," he warned dramatically. "Just what nefarious deeds are the Torchwood Academy of Pete's World up to then?"

Rose merely rolled her eyes. "Not as much as a Time Lord on Planet Douchebag, according to rumour."

The Doctor slumped, and then groaned as he reluctantly followed her up the granite stairwell that led to the building from the street. "You’re going to add that to your list so that I can be reminded of it for the rest of my life, isn't it?

"Oh Yes," Rose sang in response. "Oh _definitely_ yes."

 


	3. Day Job

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor gets a job at Torchwood

The base of operations for Torchwood wasn't exactly what the Doctor had been expecting. He was so used to seeing military-style set ups or completely sterile white environments more suited to a hospital setting than a military one that he was stunned to find that the Torchwood Facility in Pete's World actually resembled more of a business office environment than anything.

There were colours. There were cubicles. There was art. There was even a water cooler set against the wall with people _blogging._ It seemed to be an environment of friendly faces full of welcoming smiles.

It was a stark difference to the dark doom and gloom that he saw outside. He would have to find some time to nose around a little bit to investigate just what was really lurking beyond the façade of bright cheer and happiness in the front office space.

"So what is it that you all do here again?" he queried his companion softly as his eyes raked across the reception desk while Rose signed them both in.

She scrawled their names and time of entry in the log book with practiced autonomy. "The usual," she answered robotically. "Look for unidentifiable disturbances across the globe, examine and study recovered alien technology, work on dimension canons and jump technology." She took a breath. "Handle any hostile encounters that may – or may not – originate from Earth."

He pursed his lips thoughtfully. "You don't handle any hostile matters _personally_ , do you?"

"As in myself specifically," she stated more than queried.

He answered with a nod as his brows set in a crease of concern.

She shrugged and drew a few files to her chest as she led them both deeper into the office. "I'm the one with the most experience, so yes." She palmed a large door to let them through into the next section. "It's not always completely successful, because of language barriers," she sighed, "and I really don't like playing charades, but we seem to manage well enough, you know, considering we don't have a direct line to the TARDIS and the Doctor like, oh, _Martha Jones_?"

His hands were deep inside his trouser pockets, his shoulders set high, and he wore a self-satisfied grin across his cheeks. "Is someone a little _jealous_?"

"I'm going to pretend that you didn't just ask me that." She levelled him a playful glare. "Or, that you seem kind of happy about the idea that I might be."

His face bore the most satisfied of grins as he dipped his shoulder to lean his walk to a teasing spin in front of her. "Admit it, there's just a little bit of-" his words cut as he collided with something large and quite possibly human. In an attempt to maintain dignity, he straightened and turned quickly to apologise and found himself under the glare of a rather large, bald, snarling, angry looking security guard.

"Oh. Hello, big fella! " He managed quickly inside an awkward laugh and a huge smile. "What can I do for you, then?"

The security guard showed no amusement at the skinny little man beaming far too happily for a Monday morning. He let his eyes bore threateningly at the Doctor for just a moment, and then slid his eyes to Rose. "Ms. Tyler, you know we don't accept visitors beyond this point."

She looked over the edge of the file that she had lifted over her mouth to hide her amusement. Her smile was such that she opted not to remove the red file from her mouth. Her voice was slightly meek. "Dirk, this is the Doctor." She let the file drop from in front of her mouth, but swiftly replaced it upon watching the Doctor circle around to behind the large man and then mouth in disbelief: _Human? Noooo._ While he comically stretched his arms wide and then high to attempt to illustrate his point.

Rose quickly stooped forward and grabbed the Doctor's hand to tug him toward her. Her tone was amused when she finally managed to speak again. "He's starting with us today. He'll be working with Doctor Antonov on the seventh floor."

Dirk's untrusting eyes flicked from Rose to the Doctor, who maintained his grin as he held up the Identification tag pinned to the lapel of his blazer. "I didn't receive any notification of new employees."

Rose took a piece of paper from the top of her pile of folders and handed it across. "Authorization from the Director, Mr. Tyler. This assignment was decided over the weekend, and the Doctor was very eager to begin working for us."

"I wouldn't say _eager_." The Doctor corrected with a shrug. "More like coerced under threat."

She gave him a warning look. "I think you'll find that the paperwork is in order."

Dirk snatched the paper from her hand and made a show of reading the notification thoroughly. After a long thirty seconds he finally looked up and folded his gigantic arms across his chest. "I'll take the Doctor to the seventh floor."

"No," Rose replied quickly. "It's okay, I can do it."

"Negative," Dirk reacted sharply. "I've been instructed to tell you to go to your lab immediately on your arrival."

"You have a _lab_?" The Doctor questioned quietly in surprise.

Rose flicked her hand upward to ask for quiet. "Why? What's going on?"

"The system detected several massive energy surges over the weekend coming from your vault. As we can't get in there to take a look, we need you to go in and find the source of the surge."

The Doctor's attention was caught and the friendly smile quickly fell to curious concern. "What kind of energy surge are we talking about?"

Dirk shrugged. "What do you mean _what kind of energy surge_? Does it matter? A surge is a surge."

"Well," The Doctor began with a roll onto the heels of his Converse shoes as he leaned his body slightly forward. "It could be one of several potential sources of energy couldn't it? Atomic, fusion, geothermal, biomass, nuclear, gas, kinetic, chemical, gravitational – one of my favourites." He gave Rose a wink. "Solar. Oh, Solar energy is fascinating. I once gauged the energy output of a solar flare in the Andrakus galaxy. The energy release maxed out at eight times fifteen to the power of tweny-six joules. That's an _astonishing_ amount of raw power."

Dirk huffed in annoyance. "I don't know. Energy is energy and too much of it is bad. That's all I know."

The Doctor shook his head. "The inherent danger of this or any surge largely depends on what the source is, and if you intend on sending in _my_ Rose Tyler to investigate, then I think that knowing exactly _what_ caused the surge is pretty damn important, don't you?"

Rose touched his arm. "It's okay, Doctor. I think I know what it is."

"But can you be sure," he argued lightly. "If it was enough to set off the alarms, then the residual energy wavelengths could be dangerous."

"I'll be fine," she assured.

"But…"

Rose smiled as she slumped. "I'm sure that I've survived worse _residual_ _energies_ than anything that could come from my vault," she countered. "I travelled with you for two years, didn't I?"

"And just _what_ are you implying?"

"I'm implying," she answered as she rolled up on to her toes to press a kiss against the side of his mouth. "That you trust me and go with Dirk here to meet your new lab partner."

He looked at her for a long time with a stern look on his face. Finally the expression broke and he broke out into a smile. "Well. Okay then. Dirk lead the way." He belted out a clap of his hands. "Lead me to the man whose intelligence Rose assures me could very well put my own vast _vast_ amount knowledge to the test." He turned and walked backwards as pointed a finger past his nose at her. "Impossible, I assure you."

Rose watched them leave and lightly rolled her feet in a light bounce. "See ya," she said very quickly with a wiggle of her fingers in a wave.

Once she saw the elevator doors close to take both men from sight, Rose turned and sprinted to the stairwell and toward her office.

~~oooOOOooo~~

A run down the stairs from the lobby to sub-level 3 had Rose in a pant by the time she skidded into the doorway. She raked her fingernails through her hair as she hurriedly tapped in her access code for the lab.

Her first try was a fail, and she cursed as she tried a second time. "Oh. Come on. Don’t get all glitch on me now."

A white-gloved hand moved into her field of vision and slowly – accurately – entered the entry code. "I take it you've been informed of the energy fluctuations over the weekend?"

Rose nodded toward her assistant, a young man with long tasseled sandy-brown hair, thick horn-rimmed glasses and a white lab coat. "Spencer, just what kind of fluctuations are we talking about here?" She pushed open the door and burst into her private office in the laboratory. "Dirk told me there were massive surges all weekend."

Spencer followed her through the doorway and looked down to the data on a worn out, old school wooden clipboard. "Surges and drains on what I could term a _massive_ scale."

"Not good," she whispered as she swept her mouse across her desk to wake her computer.

Spencer eyeballed the door to her vault. "Just what do you have in there, Rose?"

"Classified."

"Well it might not be so classified if this trend continues," he warned. He placed the clipboard in front of her as she swiftly entered her password to unlock the computer. "Look at the data. Starting Saturday evening, there were several heavy drains on the grid, followed by massive surges of energy being released back into the system." He poked his finger on a specific set of figures. "It peaked yesterday afternoon at four. There was a full drain on the main power, lasting long enough for emergency power to have to kick in. The surge that brought it back online blew all the lighting in the west offices on the third to sixth floor and damaged the motors on every elevator on the west side. Facilities is _pissed!_ "

Rose's eyes were wide as she looked over the data. She couldn't make much sense of it at all. "But it's stopped surging now, yeah?"

"Stable for seventeen hours and holding."

Rose pressed her lips together and nodded. She looked through some information on her monitor and winced. "This was a bad idea," she breathed. "Bad. Bad. Bad. What was I thinking?"

Spencer sat on the edge of her desk and pushed his glasses up his nose as he tried to look over at her screen. He wasn't exactly surprised to see that she quickly used the alt+tab maneuver to hide the information from him. "Rose. What are you up to, hon?"

"Nothing."

"We both know that isn't true."

She challenged him in a look. "And we both know that I won't tell you, so don't ask."

Spencer rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Then just make sure that you get a handle on it. Marcus is sniffing around, and you know if he thinks for a second you've got something prime for him to take over, he will. You know that he thinks that you're a moron who's only on staff because your dad's a Director here."

She curled a lip. "Marcus can kiss my arse." She flicked a pencil across the desk and then slouched in her seat with the pout of a little girl. "I don't trust that dirtbag as far as I can throw him. Too sleazy and conniving to be working in a place like this. I'll lay bets that idiot is selling off secrets on the black market."

Spencer gave a laugh. "You are too suspicious."

"We have to be." She sat up a little higher in the chair and looked to the doorway to her vault over the top of her monitor. "He can never, _ever, ever_ , get his hands on what I'm working on right now." She licked at her lip and looked to her assistant. "So please. _Please_ stave him off as much as possible."

"I'll do my best." Suddenly he grinned. "So I heard a rumour that you finally convinced your boyfriend to come work for us." He waggled his brows. "The _Doctor_. Tell me that he's going to be in this lab. Please tell me he is. I'll ignore all the PDA and _chica bow wow_ you guys want to get up to in here just for the chance to be able to crawl inside his head and …" At the shake of her head, Spencer slouched. "Really? So. Which is the lucky department that got the former Timelord working for them?"

She smirked. ""He's with Antonov."

Spencer shook his head. "Well. There goes that department," he mused. "There'll be no work getting done. We'll just have two grown men seated in opposite corners of their office sulking because they aren't the smartest one in the room." He pulled himself up and pressed his hands onto the desktop to push himself to a stand. "I've gotto go. Alpha Team brought in something from Cardiff that they want me to take a look at." He held his hands apart a considerable distance. "Big. Blue. Pretty. Sharp."

Rose smiled. "Then go. I'll be okay here. I'll look into what might have caused the surge and get back to you."

He winked and gave a lazy salute of good bye before padding out of the room to leave Rose by herself.

Rose didn't move much. The only actual movement made was to shift her eyes to the door to her vault. She stared at it quietly for a moment, and considered her options. She wondered just what was going through her mind to think that she could possibly be in any way properly equipped to take on the task given to her _by a piece of coral?_

Her phone buzzed against her hip and she quickly snapped it out of her pocket and tossed it on the desk. A message from the Doctor asking her to explain the planetary origin of this person _Antonov_ who was obviously too intelligent to be a mere _ape_ human displayed on the lock screen. She should have smiled, but she didn't. She couldn't.

"Ohhh Doctor," she sighed along a whisper. "What have I gotten myself into here? I'm way in over my head."

Her phone buzzed to give a second notification for the same message, and Rose shook herself. She inhaled a deep breath and held onto it as she slowly drew herself to a stand.

"No sense sitting around here _wonderin',"_ she muttered to herself as she distractedly typed "LOL" in response to the Doctor's text and dropped the phone back on her desk. "Time for answers. Or more questions."

She tapped her access code into the touch-pad to her vault and slowly slipped into the room. She kept her back against the wall as the door closed and locked behind her. She blinked to adjust her sight against the glow from the rear of the darkened room.

"I'm here," she offered quietly around a hard swallow. "Miss me?"

 


	4. A Reminder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The baby TARDIS gives Rose a gift that only she can give: memories and a familiar face.

There was a light yet unmoving chill in the room. It was cool enough that Rose folded her arms across her chest in an attempt to give herself some warmth. She kept her back on the wall and crossed her legs at the ankles, planting her grounded foot hard to press back against the metal wall.

"I would have thought that you were more of a tropical weather kind of gal," she muttered into the darkness ahead of her.

The back of the room suddenly lit up and a warm rush of air blasted by her. Rose inhaled a shocked breath with a wide open mouth and dropped her arms from her chest to press back against the wall.

"Oh, my," She stammered timidly. "You've _grown_ since Friday!"

When Rose had last checked on the growing TARDIS, it was a mere golden stalk no longer than an injured man's walking cane. Now, the glowing golden tree bore several magnificent branches that extended outward, reaching for the very edges of the room.

She ignored the urging inside her head to step forward to move closer to the tree and remained solid in her stance. "You've been a naughty girl." She managed to swallow. "You've been getting into the power grids and fooling around. If you don't start to behave, then they'll force me to reveal you. They'll take you away. They'll destroy you. They could…" She gulped hard. "They could even use you for really _really_ bad things."

The light of the coral tree ahead of her pulsed gently.

Rose slid her hand into her hair and held her fringe from her face. With a sigh she slid her back down the wall to fall into a seat, her knees up against her chest. "I spoke with the Doctor about how we could possibly power you while you grow."

The lights pulsed deep and annoyed.

Rose wrapped one arm around her knees and let the other hand lift upward with her shrug. "Oh. I didn't tell him about _you_ , if that's what you're worried about." She pulled her other arm around her legs and dropped her chin into her knees. "He'd be here if I did."

She gave a small chuckle as the pulsing light dimmed to a steady glow. "You know that Timelord brain of his. He'd rush in here wanting to analyze and work out every conceivable option to be flying with you as soon as possible." She winked. "I'm hiding you from him not just because you told me to, but for my own selfish reasons. I'd lose him to ya – and I'm not ready to give him up just yet."

She tipped her head to one side and smiled as she relaxed enough to let her arms fall away from her legs and to slouch a little against the wall. "It's only been a month of us bein’ together. Check in with me in another twelve, I might have changed my mind."

Rose felt amusement swirl around her. The light feeling in her chest very quickly morphed into one of question, and she cast a solid gaze at the coral tree.

"He, I mean _the Doctor_ , says that finding enough power to make sure you grow into something amazing and beautiful is going to be impossible." She sighed. "There's not enough available energy here to sustain ... _well_." She waved her hand at the tree. "Well to keep you growing like that."

She pointed her finger at it. "And you need to stop connecting into the grid. If you need something, then you need to find a way to let me know. I'll try to find it for you."

She slouched again. "But." Her head dropped and she looked downward. "But will it be enough? I mean, I have access to some pretty nifty stuff that has some awesome power, but it'd be like a short hit of cocaine or heroin or something like that. Enough for a fast hit, but not enough to keep you going."

She bit on her nail. "And he also brought up a really good point. What about the Vortex power?" She looked back to the tree and let her arms dramatically rise and circle in the air. "We're in a whole new universe. There’s no time travel Vortex power here. None!" She felt the burn of tears in the corner of her eyes. "And I don't know how to help. I don't know what to do!"

She let herself inhale shaking breaths to attempt to calm herself. "Why did you come to me for this?" She tapped the side of her head. "I’ve got no brains in here. Not enough for what you need, anyway. Let me tell the Doctor. Let him do this. You'll just end up dying if you put your trust in me."

As her words faded off she felt a sudden sink pull inside her chest. It was enough pressure to make her head roll backward and her mouth gape in an airless gasp. The weight in her chest held a moment before it released sharply from her chest inside a glimmering, golden breath that drew all of the air from her lungs. She gasped a deep inhale and fell forward onto her hands and knees as she watched the golden breath lengthen out and swim like a tadpole through the air toward the waiting coral limbs of the tree.

"What is _that_?" she queried in a quiet voice shielded by fear. She stood hurriedly, but fell back to her hands and knees just as quickly. Her head spun. She shook it to try and shake the clouds from her mind. She looked through her fringe at the tree. "What did you just do to me?"

Her chest gave another painful contraction. Again, it held, then released in another glimmering cough that was captured by the coral tree.

Her arms crawled her forward as she begged to know what was happening; why the coral was taking from her what she could only guess was the very energy of life.

"Please stop," she begged lightly through a haunted whisper as her eyes and cheeks began to burn. "I only have one life, please don't take it all from me."

Her vision swam through a golden hue as she valiantly tried to stand once more. She swayed on her feet as she staggered a step toward the tree. Her eyes glowed gold as images, voices and words swirled and played inside her mind. The images and words random, fleeting by so quickly that she couldn't make sense of them.

_Time. Wolf. Void. Doctor. Vortex. TARDIS. Bad Wolf. Dalek. Song. Singing. Burn. Burn._

The jumble of words and images in her head swirled. Swirled and melded together. There was no coherence. There was no sense. It was loud. loud and frightening. There was pain inside her head. Blinding, burning pain. _The Sun and Moon, the day and night, but why do they hurt?_

Rose squeezed her eyes shut and let out a screech as she clutched painfully at her hair and begged for release from the cacophony of noise in her head. She screamed for it to stop.

"Enough!"

All of the sounds and imagery around her stopped immediately. She panted and slowly released the tight pressure against her closed eyes. Her frown relaxed, and her breaths lengthened slowly. Rose listened. She listened through the silence before she would allow her eyes to open once more. A far reaching sound of song ghosted deep inside the back of her mind.

Her eyes flashed open. There was a blinding flash of brilliant golden light that drew a deep breath into her lungs, but it quickly fell away. It faded to walk her into a dim, static holographic room of a space station. Images of Daleks, cables, wires, and consoles shimmered into view. She took little notice, however. Her gaze fell gently to a man in leather and denim with big ears, a sharp nose, and closely cropped hair as he stumbled soundlessly to the ground only a few feet ahead of her.

Her Doctor.

There was panic in his eyes as he spoke to her. His words formed a terrified question as she gently looked upon him with adoring eyes. Her response fell from her tear-stained lips.

_"I looked into the TARDIS and the TARDIS looked into me."_

Through the haunted singing circling in her mind she could see the Doctor's terrified, crumpled form before her. She had come to save him, but her presence was destroying him right in front of her. She could see his mouth begging the words, but she couldn't hear them.

_"I am the Bad Wolf,"_ she chanted with sorrow _. "I create myself."_

_"I take the words. I scatter them in time and in Space. A message to lead myself here."_

The Doctor begged now. He begged with words now silenced in time.

_"I want you safe, my Doctor. Protected from the false God."_

There was a desperate look in the piercing blue eyes of her Doctor as he seemed to finally understand why she had risked herself for him. There was a flicker of realization, a flare inside his eyes. And then there was terror. Terror and desperation inside the man she believed had no fears. The devastation inside his eyes destroyed her.

Rose tried to break her trance. She covered her ears with her hands and closed her eyes tight as she shook her head and staggered backward.

"No. No! I don't want to see anymore." Her own detached voice continued to sing ethereally around her despite her protests.

_"I can see the whole of time and space. Every single atom of your existence. And I divide them. Everything must come to death. All things. Everything dies. The Time War ends"_

"No more!"

_"I can control it all. The Sun and the Moon. The day and night. But why do they hurt?"_

"Stop!"

_"I can see everything. All that is. All that was. All that will be."_

"What is that even supposed to mean? I don't even know what that all means!" Tears streamed down her cheeks as her body crumpled into itself. "Why are you showing me this?"

Rose stomped her foot on the ground and dropped her hands from her ears. She let her eyes open and staggered backward to find herself face to face with the shimmering illusion of her first Doctor.

"C'mere," he said softly as he held out his arms to hold her. "I think you need a Doctor."

She gasped as his ghost took hold of her hands and dipped his face forward to kiss her. Her eyes looked wide into his as the Doctor pressed his mouth against hers and drew the power of time and space from her.

And then he was gone.

"Doctor!"

She dragged her forearm along her tear soaked eyes as she staggered backward. The Game Station around her tapered out to black nothingness, and she was left, alone, in the dark vault, with the only sounds her whimpering sobs and her fast racing heart beat.

"Is that what happened? Is that _really_ how it all went down?" She asked softly. "Is that what the Doctor meant when he said he absorbed the Time Vortex? He absorbed it from me?"

She waited for an answer she knew wouldn't come. The coral tree maintained a steady glow from the back of the vault.

Her hand rose slowly to her mouth. "Oh my God," she breathed finally as her fingers touched at her lips. "It's my fault. He died, _regenerated_ , because of me." She paced slowly. "I went back to save him. I went back so that he could live, and he ended up dying anyway."

Frustration leapt into her chest. "Why would he go and do something so stupid? We won. He was safe! He didn't have to do that." She immediately turned and ran to the door. "I have to find him. I have to – " she hiccupped and pressed her hands into the door ahead of her. She let her head drop low in the void between her arms. "And tell him _what?_ What do I even say to something like that?" She looked to the coral. "I was never supposed to remember, was I?"

Rose spun in place and pressed her back against the wall. For the second time since entering the vault, she let herself slide down into a crumpled heap on the floor; head buried in her knees. "I really didn't need to be shown that."

A grunt, and then a curt Northern accent cut through the air. "Look at you, Rose Tyler, all that fussin'."

Her whole body jumped with spasm in shock and fright. Her arms flailed to one side and her head rose quickly from her knees. "What?"

Blue eyes met hers, and the Doctor in leather crouched into a squat in front of her. "Don't mind me," he chirped as he shifted in his squat to take a seat on the floor beside her. "And don't freak out. I'm not a figment of your imagination…"

She looked him up and down. "So what, you're a ghost?"

He shook his head. "No. Not a ghost." He frowned. "Well, not in the whole spirit displaced from a dead body thing anyway, which, knowing us, would probably end up being a gaseous form of an alien race ready to kill and maim in the name of survival, am I right?"

She looked at him tiredly, but said nothing.

He sighed as he looked down at his broad hands and rolled them as though visually assessing their appearance. "I'm an interface, or projection, from her." He jutted his chin toward the coral tree, but kept his eyes on his hands. "And it's taking a lot of energy to do this, so I need you to stop crying and start listening."

Rose wiped at her eyes. She let a couple of shaking breaths calm her and then nodded. "Okay. I'm listenin'."

He shifted his eyes to meet hers. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

The image of her first doctor rolled his head on the wall to look at her properly. "Good. Because _this_ ," he remarked with a gesture to indicate her crumpled form. "Is not how I've ever seen my Rose Tyler, and not how I ever want to see her."

"Then don't show me how I killed my Doctor, and I won't." She folded her arms in childish annoyance across her chest. "Why would you even do that? What was the purpose of showing me _that_?"

He rolled his eyes and lifted one side of his lip in self chiding. "Unfortunately, what I needed you to see, and what happened with the Doctor are simultaneous events in time. I can't shield one while I show you the other."

"You could _edit_ ," she challenged lightly.

"The director called in sick," he intoned blandly.

She sighed as she pressed her fingers against her forehead and closed her eyes. "Tell me, then. What did I need to see, because right now I can't see past being responsible for his regeneration."

He moved his hand to take hold of hers and let out an annoyed grunt when his hand passed straight through hers. "You just told me that the Doctor told you there were no energies of the time vortex in this universe to allow me to grow back into a fully functioning time machine."

Rose nodded from behind her hand. "Yes."

"Well the Doctor was wrong."

She snorted loudly and pulled her hand from her face. There was a smile tugging at the very edges of her lips. "Oh. I _dare_ you to tell him that." She rolled her head on the wall to look at him and gasped at the proximity of his face to hers. "In what way was he wrong?"

The Doctor's image smiled. "There _is_ vortex power here." He rolled his head to look at the coral growing at the back of the room. "A small amount, just a glimmer, but I can make that power grow." He sighed. "That is, if you'll let me."

Rose seemed to liven up with excitement. "Really? There's usable vortex power? Here?" She held a wide grin across her cheeks. "If it's available, then yes. Tell me where it is and I'll get it for you."

He pursed his lips and deliberately kept his eyes from hers. "That's where it gets a little complicated. It's not as easy as you think it is."

Rose was eager. "I've done _difficult_ more times that I can count. Tell me how I can get it for you."

His image shuddered in and out of focus. "It's in _you_ , Rose Tyler," he said before a full exhale. "The power is inside you. Small and precious." He looked at her. "Such a small amount hidden in the very deepest part of your mind." He paused with a smile. "But before I can draw it out again, I need to strengthen it."

She swallowed hard. "It's what and where, and how, and who, and … _what?"_

He winced at the fear in her voice. "Bad Wolf," he answered softly, his Northern accent vanishing with each spoken word until it became more an ethereal harmony than a single voice. "Bad Wolf was the very essence of time itself. A being of light with the power to control life, and death. To see all of time, space; all of what is, what was, what will be."

Her eyes widened. "I was all that?"

He nodded slowly and looked down to the ground between his feet. "We were, but it was too much. I gave you all of that power, but it was too much for a human mind and body to bear."

She swallowed hard, but said nothing.

He looked back up. "You could only hold that power for a very limited time before it burned you completely. We had just enough time for you to save our Doctor and to defeat the Dalek emperor."

"And so he took it from me," she finished softly. "Which is why he absorbed the Time Vortex energy. He did it to save my life."

"To save _our_ lives," he whispered sadly.

Her whole body tensed at the words. "What?"

The image flickered in and out in front of her, and in a moment was standing ahead of the coral tree. "For a moment in time, you and I were one. Two beings that came together because of their love for one man." He smiled. "I was a dead machine without the Time Vortex. By taking the power from you and returning it to the TARDIS, he saved us both."

"That," Rose remarked with wide eyes, "is quite something."

The Doctor's voice returned. "And so this is how we get to this point."

Rose shuddered at the switch from a soft, almost feminine tone to a decidedly masculine, heavily accented voice. "Okay?"

He soundlessly clapped his hands together. "In order for me to come to life and have our Doctor and Rose Tyler answer Time's call, we have some work ahead of us."

"Answer _Time's_ call?" Her eyes were wide. "Oh. Okay. So you're not just here to let us go have fun traipsing around time and space again. No, of course not. It's never that simple is it?"

"Life would be no fun if things were simple, now, would it." His voice turned serious. "I'm not going to lie to you, Rose. This won't be easy. It won't be without pain and a bit of struggle."

She whimpered dramatically. "Go on."

"We need to reignite the dormant Vortex power that's still inside you. I can't survive without it." He tipped his head apologetically to her. "Fortunately, though, we've got time to do this slowly and thereby safely."

"So you're saying that we light a little bit. I give it to you. A little bit more. I give it to you? You know, keep the levels low enough that I won't crash and burn." Her tone was extremely hopeful, but she knew better. All she needed was to see the expression on his face to know it wouldn't be in any way _that_ simple. "Oh. God."

"I'll protect you as much as I can." He looked back at the tree. "I've obtained enough power now to be able to keep the energy as dormant as possible until we need to make the final energy transfer."

"And then what will happen to me?" There was no escaping the fear in her voice.

The image smiled. "Oh. My Wolf. I hold the very essence of time itself. You've seen my power..."

"It almost killed me," she challenged. "What if we can't control it and it finishes that job this time around?"

"You have the love of both a TARDIS and a Timelord who will stop at nothing to make sure that doesn't happen."

She shook her head. "My Timelord isn't a Timelord anymore."

The image smiled a coy grin. "Isn't he?"

Rose patted at her chest. "One heart. Not a Timelord."

"Well. It's not the first time he's been in this predicament." The image shrugged and raised an arrogant brow. "Remember two things, Rose Tyler. One. Your Doctor was born on the TARDIS floor surrounded by vortex and regenerative powers. Two. There was never a Timelord/Human Meta-Crisis."

"Which means what, exactly?"

The image smiled. "You're a smart girl…"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Not right now, I'm not," she challenged. "You're not making any sense."

The image dropped his head with a slight shake. "In time." He raised his head again. "In good time that'll make sense. But for now, I do have to ask you a final question before we can commence."

"What's that?"

"Do you consent?"

Rose's brows knitted together tightly on her brow. "Consent to what?"

"I need access to your mind, Rose."

Rose sighed as her face contorted to a wince. "I was worried you'd say that." She nodded lightly and took a deep breath. "But. No poking around. You go in, look for your Vortex thingie, and get out, okay?" she rubbed at her brows. "The last thing I need is you getting stroppy one day and putting my most embarrassing thoughts on any monitor you can get your little fingers in to." She pointed at the image. "And don't tell me that a TARDIS can't get stroppy. You're a female. All females have it in them."

The image chuckled. "I make that vow to you, then Rose. No jiggery-pokery inside your brain."

"Good," Rose mattered in a very self-satisfied manner. "Then I consent. Do what you need to, just don't kill me."

The image approached her swiftly. It swelled with golden amber energy to completely engulf her tiny form.

~~oooOOOooo~~

Rose stirred lightly on the darkened vault floor. Her mouth was dry and there was an ache in the very back of her head. She moved gingerly to her knees and rocked back onto her ankles.

"Did someone get the number of that lorry?" She let out a whistle and shook her head a little in an attempt to shake off the clouds and the ache inside her mind. She moaned as she pressed the butts of her hands against her eyes to try to relieve some of the pressure. "Where the Hell am I?" She blinked into the darkness and rolled her eyes at herself. "Vault? Okay."

_"Rose, are you in there?_

Her attention shot to the intercom panel on the door and to the voice of her assistant on the other side. A quick look to the digital clock on the wall said it was midafternoon, and her eyes widened quickly. There was no way she had been in there all day.

_"Rose, are you okay? Do you need some help?"_

Rose quickly skipped toward the intercom and frowned as she pressed the communication button. "Yeah, yeah. I'm good, Spencer. Sorry. I got caught up and forgot about the time." She looked back over her shoulder and gasped a little at the sight toward the back of the vault. "Just give me a minute here to finish up, be out shortly."

She released the button and ignored any response as she strode toward the lightly glowing tree at the back of the room. The sight of the growing coral tree made her smile widely. "Wow," she breathed softly. "Look at you." She walked around the crown of branches and withheld a squeal of excitement. "Oh. You’re beautiful.”

She stood still for a moment as a kiss of something moved through her mind. Blue eyes, Leather, and brilliant light. She rubbed at the centre of her brow and shook her head. "Of everyone who has ever touched my life, you chose him," she muttered more to herself than to the tree. She then gave the tree a wink and grinned a tongue in teeth grin. "You know what? I would’ve too.."

She punched in her access code to open the vault door and passed a look back at the coral tree. "Behave, girl. See you tomorrow – provided you don’t play about with the grid again and get me fired."

 


	5. Anniversary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor likes this "Anniversary" thing that the humans love to celebrate

Six months into his regeneration _of sorts_ into a _smarter than most_ human and the Doctor had a rather long catalogue of the differences between Gallifreyan and Human biology, physiology, chemistry, reactivity, hunger, wants, needs, desires, hunger, pain…

_Wants, needs, desires. Oh my!_

One thing that was being made perfectly clear in the Timelord mind of this hybrid human, was that the Homo Sapien Sapien was fueled by one thing, and pretty much one thing only: Desire. More specifically than that broad stroked term: Desire for sex. Males and females alike seem to be driven on this one very specific desire, and it was inescapable. Everywhere the Doctor looked he was bombarded by subliminal – and some not so subliminal – messages. Magazines, TV, Billboards, Radio… By Rassilon, even half of the buildings seemed to have been designed with male genitalia in mind.

Not that he could really fault the driving force behind the human race. It _was_ something else.

A Gallifreyan couple could complete a love-making cycle in roughly five minutes or so and be sated for a long while.

Humans? _Well_ , they could very well span their activities over the course of an Earth night and still want for more when it was all over.

_Now_. That was in no way to say that the intimacy between a couple from Gallifrey was any less fulfilling than that of an Earthen couple. Oh no. Not less at all. The act itself was far more powerful and exquisite than that of the human kind. It just lacked the absolute starving need for that explosive union that humans possessed; that driving hunger that could carry through hours, building and building, desperate for that final connection and the inevitable earth shattering climax.

And not to forget, of course, it was just plain fun!

Which is what led the Doctor to this much undignified current predicament: In the driver's seat of an expensive, luxury Lincoln SUV, parked in front of his home, with an impossibly gorgeous blonde woman straddling his lap and snogging him into another dimension.

Rose had been at him all day. Their _six-month anniversary_ she called it. Six months to the day since being left on Bad Wolf Bay by the fully Timelord Doctor and his partly Timelord companion. Apparently such dates were important to human females and it seemed that their male counterpart was expected to flawlessly align with this newly heightened sexual cycle.

The Doctor wasn't about to scratch his head in bewilderment as to just what force was supposed to magically align their desires. Truth be told, he honestly didn't need a specific reason to match her current mood. He was happy to simply play along and reap the benefits of this _anniversary_ and wait for the next one to come along to play the game all over again.

And _what_ a game it was!

It started upon waking. Rose teasingly woke the sleepy Doctor with her soft hands threaded up underneath the flannel top of his jimjams. Those artful hands and exquisitely manicured fingernails traced every… single ... curve and crevice of his chest, and drew excruciatingly blissful lines right across the line of his low-slung pajama pants.

Because of the basic human biology _north_ of the anatomy equator, and its _state_ upon waking, this meant that he was pretty much good for any game play that her actions suggested, and so he immediately searched out her mouth to draw her into a long and passionate early morning kiss.

Rose had immediately pulled back from him with a giggle and a comment suggesting he had morning breath, and then promptly leapt out of bed and left the room, wearing nothing but a light pink and lace panty and camisole set.

All he could do was sprawl out on his back across the entirety of their bed and let out a long and disappointed moan, clench his eyes tightly shut and try to shut off any illicit thoughts try to will himself into a state much more appropriate to crawl out of bed, get ready and leave the house in.

As the day lingered on, it only became more torturous. Rose played her game of texting him as many _definitely not safe for work_ texts as possible. He was hugely appreciative of the fact that his fellow lab-partner barely spoke a word of the Queen's English, because that damn phone of his kept splashing her messages across the lock screen at the worst possible times.

And again, this was more to the part of the reason that the Doctor was here, in this moment, in a position of having to decide if the entire neighbourhood would bear witness to their anniversary celebration, or if he actually had any will left in him to make it to their bedroom, or at the very least beyond their front door.

Fortunately, Rose made that decision on his behalf as she tore her mouth from his and slid awkwardly off his knee out of the vehicle. "C'mon Doctor," she purred thickly as she took hold of his tie to coax him out of the vehicle. "Let's get inside."

The Doctor knew he should make at least half an effort to tuck his shirt back into his trousers, tighten up his tie and straighten his blazer to save at least a little dignity, but couldn't honestly see the point in it. It would be approximately thirty-six seconds until they were beyond the front door and he'd be shrugging himself out of all of it anyway.

Following the urging tug of his tie, the Doctor allowed himself to be led to their front door, which was as far as he got before he answered that urge and spun Rose in place to press her against the lacquered wood to claim her mouth with his once more.

Rose giggled under his mouth. "We really should get inside, Doctor."

He took hold of the very softest part of her ass and hauled her up against him. "It's taking too long," he growled. "Here's good. Here is so _very very_ good."

She pressed her hand against his chest to push him away from her. Her voice was a husky giggle. "But it'll be better upstairs." She licked at her lip and lowered her voice to a whisper as she watched his expression darken and his hand move to seat itself on the door behind her head. "I've got a surprise for you."

This piqued his interest, and his brow shot up high. "Oh, _really_? And just what does my Rose Tyler have in store for the Doctor this evening?"

She winked as the door clicked to allow them in and curled and inviting finger to him. "You'll just have to wait and see."

"No more waiting," he growled as he shucked off his blazer, kicked the door closed them and propelled himself at her. Again, he claimed her mouth in a frenzied and bruising kiss. He held her face firm with both hands as he simultaneously walked them deeper into the house and toed off his Converse shoes.

Rose tried valiantly to cool him just long enough to get them somewhere comfortable. "Bedroom," she gasped as his mouth moved to her neck and his hands dropped to grab at her behind.

"Too far away," he growled into her neck. "Stairs?"

"Too uncomfortable," she moaned with a shaking whimper. "Living room?"

That option seemed to work for him, and the Doctor swiftly swept her up in his arms, her legs around his hips, and quickly moved them toward their couch. "Works for me," he said with a grin as he let her fall into the cushions. He smirked darkly as he quickly undid the fly of his trousers and let them fall into a heap at his feet.

Rose couldn't help but giggle at the sight before her. Her Doctor with scruffy hair, flushed cheeks, wearing nothing but a creased, disheveled, white Oxford shirt long enough to kiss at the legs of his black boxer briefs. His uneven and slightly mismatched white socks hung off this toes, and his striped tie hung loosely to the right of his chest. Not quite the distinguished Time Lord he played himself of as.

"C'mere," she purred with a crook of her finger as she widened the part between her knees to invite him in. "My Doctor."

The grin that appeared on his face was slightly manic, and he growled as he launched himself onto the couch. Rose squealed in laughter.

A muffled voice from the kitchen doorway gasped in horror, and then whimpered in embarrassment. "Oh. God. I'm sorry."

The Doctor's head immediately shot up to look over the back of the couch. The threatening look that he attempted to leer upon the trespasser was most definitely hampered by the smear of lipstick that extended from the very edge of his mouth toward his ear, and the young man on the receiving end of the glare merely smiled and took a bite of his sandwich.

"You guys need ten minutes?"

The sound of a harsh gasp from beneath the Doctor, and Rose's head popped up over the couch beside him. "If you think the job only needs ten.." She paused with a chuckle and looked to the Doctor as she flicked her finger between them. "Only needs _Ten._ See what I did there?"

The Doctor gave her a wide-grinned giggle. "Oh yes. Brilliant!"

Spencer shook his head. "Yeah. Okay. Look, I'm not going to pretend to know what you're talking about, but when you're finished doing _whatever_ , Rose. I really need to talk to you."

The Doctor's eyes narrowed in annoyance, but he didn't dare move from his position. "Spencer. We're going to need, _oh_ , till Monday. So if you wouldn’t mind sodding off…"

"Doctor," Rose warned with a smile as she propped herself up onto her elbows to lean over the back of the couch. "Spencer wouldn't be here if it wasn't important. Would you?"

Spencer took another bite of his sandwich and spoke around his mouthful. "This ranks pretty high on the importance scale, Rose. So, yeah. Need you."

"Need my food too, apparently" the Doctor said with a growl as he finally moved from behind the couch and padded on floppy socked feet toward the side entrance to the stairs. He paused and frowned at the young man. "And how'd you get in, anyway?"

"Aww. Come on, man. Aim for some decency will ya?"

The Doctor looked down and belatedly realized that he was wearing only an Oxford, boxer briefs, socks and a tie. Evidence of his physiological reaction to his encounter with Rose was very much still on display, but he shrugged it off. "You _will_ break into a man's house on the evening that you are most likely fully aware that he is celebrating an _anniversary_ with the woman he loves." His look challenged Spencer to comment further.

"I'll buy into it if you can tell me just _what_ anniversary you're celebrating," Spencer shot back with a smirk. He held up a key. "And I didn't break in, I have a key."

The Doctor quickly snatched it off him. "Permission revoked. Knock next time." He looked back to Rose with a longing stare. "Rose. I'll be upstairs waiting for you to finish." He looked at the watch on his wrist. "You have thirty minutes."

"Thirty or what," Rose asked quietly.

"Or I'll get bored and tinker with your hair dryer." He pursed his lips thoughtfully and actually seemed to consider a plan for such as he walked up the stairs. "Think Dyson Air blade Power, only super heated. Oh yes, fast trying action."

Rose moaned. "Yeah, just remember that _you_ use it too, Doctor!" She called back as she shook her head and drew herself from behind the couch. "So, Spencer, my most awesome assistant. What can I do for you today?" She walked past him into the kitchen and leaned on the breakfast counter, where Spencer had already laid out some papers. She immediately began scanning the information. "What have we here?"

Spencer thumbed in the direction of the stairs. "It's something that he might be interested in."

"Probably," she said softly, with mild distraction as she focused a little harder on some of the papers. "If it involves a potential Alien threat, he'll probably leap all over it."

"There's nothing _potential_ about this one, Rose."

She looked down her shoulder at him. "Verified, then? So why are you coming to me?" She folded her arms and leaned down onto the tabletop on her elbows. "If the dogs are already on it, then I can't offer much. Just bring me their toys so you and I can see what we can cannibalize from them." She grinned at that. "We haven't had anything cool to play with for a while."

"I dunno," he breathed softly as he took position on the opposite side of the counter. "What you've got cooking in your vault seems to get you all happy."

"Change in subject," she sang. "Again, why are you bringing this to me? If they want me in, then I'll get the call." She looked at her phone. "Nothing."

"Well," he muttered in a conspiratorially low tone of voice. "I noticed something interesting inside the intel from this, that. Well. That I thought you might want to look at."

Her eyes flicked toward him. "What do you mean, exactly?"

He slid an iPad across the table and swiped his finger across the screen to shift to a photograph. " _That_ is what I think you'll be interested in."

Rose licked at her lip as she let her eyes slide across the two items in the image. One, a strange looking rod-shaped tool with dual handles and a plunger-style end. The other, a flat disk like object that had obviously seen better days. It was scratched and dented, yet still appeared to be in some working order if the lighted middle was any indication. "There's nothing too remarkable," she said softly. "It's alien, no doubt." She tilted her head lightly as she felt a slight warmth wash in her cheeks. She swayed ever so slightly. "Sontaren," she said softly. "Rheon Carbine sidearm weapon, standard since 2370. The disk is a time jump teleport device, typically used by the scout team. Jump technology for this unit was stolen from a hijacked decrepit TARDIS, in the twenty-second century. They couldn't properly utilize or harness the true power of the remaining matrix, and so they could only create single jump pads instead of apply the power to entire ships."

"Yeah on the gun" Spencer drawled long. "That's what the nerds in weapons told me. The rest, though. I'm slightly impressed, maybe even a little turned on that you knew so much about it, actually."

Rose gave the tiniest of shakes and let her eyes blink quickly. "What was that _,_ sorry?"

Spencer's fingers tapped against the image on the iPad screen. "Zoning out on me again, Boss lady?."

She shrugged. "Guess I have my mind on other things right now.” She gave a full body shake to shudder out the cobwebs in her mind. She then pressed her finger into her lips and looked closer. "Any idea about where these things might be from?"

Spencer's eyes were wide and his words came out slow and careful. "Oh. I don't know. Sontara, maybe?"

She pursed her lips. "Sontaren anal probe," she mused with a wink. "We know the origin, but where did it come from that we could pick it up?" She waved her hand at it. "The sontarans aren’t exactly the type to dump off usable weaponry for useless humans to pick up and play with.”

“You say that about most alien mobs, Rose, but yet we’re still picking up some pretty cool stuff.”

Rose shook her head and shrugged. “I really don’t know what to tell you, Spencer.” She pushed the weapon toward him. “Bringing this to me won’t really help you. Take it to the Nerds in weapons. They’d probably lose their minds over this. This isn't exactly my line of study."

"And so just what is, exactly," Spencer said curiously.

"Are you questioning your substantial paycheck?"

"No," he answered quickly. "But. Anyway. Let me show you why I’m really here. I needed to show you this." He swiped to a tighter image of the transported pad and zoomed in on the scratchings at its surface. "" _That_. Is what I thought would press your buttons."

Rose's eyes widened. Yes. Spencer was correct. This was very interesting indeed. Scratched crudely into the metal surface of the item, almost aligned perfectly in its centre was a circular design, curve after curve, circles within circles. She swallowed. "That. Is. Interesting."

"Ooh," Spencer remarked on a breath. "Punctuating every word. That's a good sign."

Her eyes flashed upward. "Why would you think I'd be interested in this design?"

Spencer leaned down onto his elbows. "Because it's the same one you've been doodling for the past few months, Rose."

She frowned and shook her head. "No I haven't. I am _not_ a doodler." She pointed at the image. "And I definitely wouldn't be doodling that specific…" she stopped and gasped as Spencer slid a piece of scrap paper across the table with identical markings on it. "So familiar, but what is it?"

"Yes, you do and you have," he said with a tap of his finger on the paper. "When you go into this _zone_ as you call it, right after you get out of that vault, you scratch and scribble these things in various designs on just about any piece of paper you can find. I've got a drawer full of them."

She looked slightly terrified. "You _keep_ them?"

He nodded. "I also hide them, Rose. I don't know what you're doing in there, but I'm pretty sure that you don't want anyone – specifically Marcus – getting any mitts on these and finding out."

"Thank you," she breathed. Her brow was taut in confusion. "But why would I be doing that? I don't even remember." She pulled the paper closer to her and analyzed it a little more.

"Do you know what it is?" Spencer asked gently.

"I don't know," she said worriedly.

"You have to," he urged.

Rose's eyes glassed over slightly as her finger drew along the lines of the circles. "It's circular Gallifreyan text," she answered softly. "The technical writing style of the Time Lords of Gallifrey, a very ancient language. Each circle represents a full sentence, with each inner circle a word of that sentence."

"Do you know what it says?"

Her eyes remained on the paper, but her chin rose slightly as she spoke. Her voice was wistful, breathy, slightly musical. "Blanoir Wolchien."

"In English?" Spencer asked with a tilted bow.

The Doctor's voice growled from the doorway beside them. "It means _Bad Wolf_."

 


	6. The Oncoming Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A worried Doctor is a very angry Doctor. But of course only one person actually dares to challenge the Oncoming Storm when he's in his full snarling glory.

Rose gulped at the sound of her Doctor's voice, and at the darkened tone used to translate the phrase. She remained quiet as her eyes tracked his slow stalk toward her, the slow method by which he slid his glasses tightly up the bridge of his nose, the deliberately smooth manner by which he leaned his elbows on the countertop to bring his face in line with hers, and finally the stare that held an army of emotions most definitely lead by anger.

She didn't have that accurate second-by-second time brilliance of the Doctor that may have given her an accurate time frame of just how long he stood silently ahead of her lightly grinding his jaw, but she could guess that it spanned the gap of about two millennia.

"Spencer," the Doctor finally breathed. "Could you please give us a few minutes? Rose and I need to talk about a couple of things."

Spencer realized that his nod was unseen by the pair, and voiced his affirmative. "Yeah. I'll just head off then. I guess we'll meet at the office in a few minutes?"

"Give us an hour," the Doctor breathed, still not taking his glare off Rose.

"Okay, then," Spencer muttered. "I'll see…"

"No," Rose quickly interrupted with a very, very timid tone of voice. "Please stay." She tore her eyes from the tractor beam glare of the Doctor and looked to her assistant with panic. "We'll all go together. Just give me a moment to get changed."

The Doctor's hand dropped quickly onto hers to prevent her escape. "We're not going anywhere." He paused to clear his throat. "Not until you explain a couple of things."

She looked for a moment at where his hand sat upon hers and then tugged it away. "We can discuss the details on the way to the office. It looks like we have a Sontaren scout – or even a ship – knocking on our door, and…"

His hand came down hard on the counter, which made both Rose and Spencer jerk. "That's _not_ what we need to talk about, and you know it."

She could see out in her peripheral vision Spencer gesturing that he should probably go give them their space, but she merely raised a hand to wordlessly ask him to stop. Her gaze remained on the Doctor's annoyed expression. "And whatever it is that you want to talk about, Doctor, whatever it is you want me to answer to, I'm sorry, but I just don't have the answers you're looking for." She swallowed and let her voice drop to something without aggression. "We've got more important things to worry about right now."

His projection of aggression didn't appear to abate any, but his voice did calm slightly. "There is nothing _,"_ he hissed through his teeth _. "Nothing_ more important or worth more worrying about than _you_ Rose. And I really couldn't care less right now just which alien ship is knocking on the door. Something is going on with you, and I need to deal with that before anything else."

"There's nothing to deal with." She narrowed her gaze and lowered her head to mirror his stance and position. "There is _nothing_ wrong with me, Doctor."

He didn't tear his eyes from hers as he swiped at the table and snatched up the piece of paper with the Gallifreyan Doodle on it. He showed t to her without looking at it himself. "Then explain this and how you can translate it."

"I don't know," she growled in return.

"How can you _not_ know," he snapped back in response as the paper scrunched in his hand and he tossed it back onto the counter. "This isn't something that you can pull off a website, Rose. This is a language _only_ spoken by the Time Lords of Gallifrey; a race of people long since lost. Two people, Rose. Two people in this universe and beyond know this language."

"I don't know," she clarified darkly.

He straightened up and arrogantly looked down his nose at her, a looming man oozing with every bit of the Oncoming Storm energies of legend. "I know for a fact that I haven't been giving written lessons on my native language in my sleep, Rose. So tell me. Be honest with me. Where. Did. You. Learn.…"

"I. Don't. Know!" She thundered in reply in a manner very much like her Doctor had done on his first Alien encounter inside this regeneration. She was deliberate in ensuring that the delivery of her words mirrored his exactly. If he was going to get all pissy, punctuate every word, and generally act like an ass, then she was sure as heck going to play right alongside him.

"Okay then," he challenged as he folded his arms across his chest and shook off a little of his aggression. "Tell me what it is that you've been working on behind closed doors."

"No."

He had the gall to looked slightly shocked that she'd uttered a response in the negative. "Excuse me?"

"I said no," she stated simply, softly, as her posture lengthened and her face fell into calm yet furious arrogance. "I will not."

"Why can't you tell me," he asked softly, but with definite frustration. "Why do you feel that this is something that you can't share with me? What is it, Rose?"

She pressed her lips together and shook her head. "I just can't. It's personal, classified, and you just can't know about it right now." She sighed and looked to the ceiling. "Noone can know about it."

The Doctor pressed his lips tightly together and lowered his head with a nod. After a breath he let his eyes graze up to her face. "I thought we didn't have any secrets between us."

She let out a laugh. "Says you, the holder of the greatest secret of them all."

His eyes narrowed. "I don't keep any secrets from you, Rose. I'm an open book with you. Anything you want to know, just ask, and I'll gladly share."

"Be careful," she challenged. "Don't make a promise you can't keep."

"I'm not."

Her brow flicked high. "Then if that's the case. I'll share with you my deepest and darkest Vault-hidden secret if you answer me one question. Just one. That's it, one."

His brow flicked and one side of his mouth curled up into a victorious smile. "Go ahead, Rose. Ask. I'm not hiding anything from you."

She licked at her lip and set her jaw and facial expression into a preemptive _told you so_ countenance. "What's your name?"


	7. Separated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor and Rose find themselves separated at the worst possible time

The horrific speed by which the Doctor's expression shifted from victory to absolute seething fury made Rose gasp and immediately regret her challenge. She and he had never actually gotten into just why he withheld his birth name from her. Rose had simply assumed it was just some Time Lord mandate that thou shalt not be referred to by the name from the mother or some other such ritualistic reasoning. Assumption being the mother of all screw-ups, of course, she had assumed that he would probably call her bluff and ante up with the info, or just shake it off and admit defeat. No big deal.

Obviously she was mistaken.

Before she could attempt to splutter some form of apologetic retraction of her challenge, however, the Doctor broke from his rigid stance. He raised a finger and worked his jaw as if to speak, but then abruptly turned and stalked out of the room.

Rose gasped at the sound of the Doctor yelling what Rose could only assume was a rather sensational swear word in Gallifreyan. She jumped when their bedroom door slammed hard enough that she could almost feel the shockwave hit into her chest.

"Oh," she whimpered behind her hand as her eyes began to sting. "I crossed the line. I completely leapt one whole universe over the line."

Spencer was quickly around the breakfast counter and at her side. He touched at her arm. "Hell, Rose. What was _that_?"

She felt the ripple of upset move into her shoulders and shuddered. "Apparently I just committed blasphemy in the highest order."

"I know you're trying for sarcasm there, Rose," Spencer offered softly as he tugged her lightly to attempt to console her with a hug. "But it's not working."

She refused the gesture with a shake of her head and a light press of her hand against his chest. "I should go and apologise to him."

At the sound of what was likely the entire contents of the top of their dresser being thrown to the ground, Spencer shook his head. "I'm not letting you go anywhere near him right now."

"He'd never hurt me," she assured softly.

"Not intentionally, maybe. But Rose. He's pissed." He put his hand on her shoulder and spared a wary glance toward the top of the stairs. " _Really_ pissed."

"I know," she hiccupped. "I've never seen him like this before." She wiped at her eyes to clear those insistent tears that wouldn't stop falling. "Never."

"And all because you asked him what his name was," Spencer grunted with unbidden incredulity. "Doesn't take much, does it?"

Rose closed her eyes with a shake of her head. "He's worried. Worse, he's worried about me because he thinks something is happening with me and he doesn't know what it is. The Doctor doesn't handle _not knowing_ very well." She sighed. "Me demanding that he tell me his name was just the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak."

"And I'm not going to pretend to know what that's about, but _shit, Rose._ " He rubbed at her upper arm with soothing strokes. "Look. I'm not letting you go up there right now. Take a walk, a drive, anything. Just give him some time to cool down and then you two talk it out."

"I promise you, Spencer. He won't hurt me if I go up there right now."

"No, he won't, I don't doubt that," he said quickly. "But with tempers flared like they are, stuff might get said that can't be taken back." He gave her a pained look of begging. "The wrong words can hurt a hell of a lot more than a punch across the face. Trust me, Rose. I grew up in that environment, I saw it every day before my parents finally called it quits."

"We'll be okay," she assured.

"Just, both of you cool down and think first, then talk, then make up, and then have incredible make up sex." He breathed deeply. "Just not right now, okay?"

"I'll apologise." She moved to the base of the stairs and looked up to the landing as she wrapped her hand cautiously around the spherical decoration at the end of the bannister. "I wonder, though, if me just saying _I'm sorry_ will work in this regeneration, or if that was just a nine-thing. He's such a different man, now. Maybe he won't let it go unless I ante up and tell him all about her." Her eyes widened. "For sure he won't let it go. I have no choice."

"Tell him what?" Spencer was obviously confused. "Nine? Regeneration? Rose, what are you on about?"

"TARDIS," she whispered softly.

"Who's TARDIS," he queried with a high brow.

"She's the _true_ love of the Doctor's life, his best friend." She hooked her hair behind her ear and took a single stride up. "And she's here. _Well_. Sort of."

"Oh no, don't tell me he's already married or something, Rose." He rubbed at his head to stave off a fast forming headache. "God. If I have to keep trying to follow you and your whacked out trains of thought, I'm going to request a pay grade increase."

"No, he's not currently married." she smiled. "At least not this particular regeneration. Who knows about the others?." She snapped her eyes suddenly to her cell phone, which was buzzing angrily on the counter. The Star Wars Imperial March tone began, and Rose drooped. "No. Not Torchwood. Not now."

Spencer snatched her phone from the table and looked at the message on the screen as he walked toward her. His face screwed up into a wince. "You're on, Rose," he muttered apologetically. "Torchwood's calling you in for contact with an Alien craft that breached UK airspace about five minutes ago." He looked up. "Sontaran, of course."

She slouched and shook her head. "Terrible bloody timing."

"Insensitive assholes these alien invaders, eh?"

"You have no idea." Rose rolled her eyes and snatched her phone from him. "The war of Tyler versus Doctor will have to call a ceasefire for now, I suppose." She leaned forward to press her hand on one of the steps to be able to call up. "Doctor!"

At the very distinct sound of the shower running upstairs, she winced. Before she could comment or move, however, Spencer let out a strangled sound. "Uh. You go, Rose," he managed. "You head on in to Torchwood, I'll drive the Doctor in when he's finished. No need to interrupt him right now"

Her look was one of suspicion. "If we're on move-out, then we don't exactly have time to wait for the Doctor to finish up."

"You do if he's been placed on stand-by." He took a step backward and nervously bit at his lip as though ready to receive a rant, slap, punch, or gunshot wound. "It looks like Marcus has separated the two of you and put you on different teams. Right now, you're on the team one, and the Doctor's on the second team."

She was incredibly silent for a long second. Her breath held in her chest for much longer than should have been anywhere near comfortable for a human to withstand. Finally, her voice shifted from between her lips in a very flat, bland, manner. "Oh. This day just keeps improving, doesn't it?"

"Sorry Rose. I heard grumbling about it a few days back," he admitted. "Intra-office relationships and all that bullshit. I should have mentioned it, but I didn't think he'd actually go through with it."

She rubbed tiredly at her eyes. "S'not your fault," she assured. "But if Marcus is looking for a fight, he's definitely found it." She indicated the upstairs with a jut of her chin. "If you think he's mad now, you just wait to see how he'll be when he finds out about _this_." She indicated an explosion by circling her arms and making a sound like a bomb going off. "Supernova."

"And you're leaving me to tell him. Nice boss you are." He rubbed at his head. "He doesn't often kill the messenger, does he?"

"Just give him a laptop to get started on trace and infiltration intelligence along the way to Torchwood, and he'll be fine." She patted his shoulder. "I promise." She grabbed her keys and handbag and ran to the door. "Oh," she added with a spin to face him. "And tell him that I love him, okay? And make sure that he knows that, yeah? You know. Just in case?"

"In case of _what_?"

She looked pained. "Sontarans don't take prisoners."

Spencer's face took on a lengthened and horrified expression as she door shut behind her. As he heard Rose's car squeal out of the driveway, the most horrific image of the Doctor and Rose not being able to see each other again appeared in his mind. He reminded himself that their last words to each other were harsh and angry and his heart broke.

He ran up the stairs, two and three steps at a time and pounded hard on the bathroom door. He wasn't going to let that happen.

"Doctor!"

~~oooOOOooo~~

Rose stood in the centre of five people, back against the wall, deep within the invading Sontaran command ship. She held her weapon – a hand gun – in the space between her bent and parted legs and leaned forward in an attempt to see the pathway ahead of them.

She was completely out of sorts on this mission. This team was not comprised of any of her usual squad. She wasn’t leading the team. She didn't agree with a single one of their mission parameters and movement plans.

What did Marcus think that five soldiers could possibly hope to achieve in a ship carrying quite possibly a few thousand ancient alien warriors? Not much. Not bloody much at all. At least if they were with the Doctor, he could find a way to disable their weapons, maybe decipher a Sontaran command or two to help them through, perhaps even find a way to quite literally smack their potato headed asses and send them off packing into another dimension to let the someone else more equipped to deal with them.

But. No. They were five men (okay, one woman) basically alone, with no intelligence that they could make any sense of, and not enough weaponry to make it out of this new brand level of Hell in one piece.

"Right," the leader of their group ordered in a low voice. "We've made it to their main engine room. Phillips, You, me and Wilson will go in and set the charges. Tyler and Andrews, you stand guard out here. Take out any Potato Head that comes anywhere near the place."

"You're kidding me, right?" Rose challenged. "You're leaving the two of us out here to face the troops alone?"

"That's the plan, Tyler. Got a problem with it?"

"Several, actually," she snarled at him; a petite blonde woman against a six-foot-four hulk of a man. "Where would you like me to start?" She looked around him to peer into the room. "We don't even know if we're in the right place. This is all guess work. We should just stand down and wait for Team Two," she advised. "Let the Doctor disable this thing properly, maybe we'll save some lives and get out of this in one piece."

He sneered down at her. "We've got _orders_ from the top. We set the charges per Marcus' orders, and blow this place to Hell. I'm not gonna sit here and twiddle my thumbs waiting for your boyfriend geek in a pinstripe suit to screw around and get us all killed."

"You know," Andrews offered. "I'm more than okay to go with her option, man." He thumbed to Rose. "I've heard the stories. He might be a pretty boy geek, but he's got more balls than half of the entire Torchwood squad combined."

"Yeah," Wilson remarked in agreement. "He's the guy who put down the Cybermen."

Their Commander pointed a finger into Wilson's chest. "The Cybermen were a bunch of robots and he took them out with a cell-phone code." He thumbed over his shoulder. "We've got live soldiers here and that trick aint gonna work."

Rose shuddered with worry. "Please, let’s just wait for the Doctor."

Their commander curled a lip. "Bloody women. Yeah. You can wait here, grab one of your dolls and plait her hair while you wait for your precious Doctor to turn up and blab his way to a piss-poor resolution, meanwhile half the planet dies." He stood tall to loom down over her. "We, the _men_ are going to follow orders and blow this place to smitherines." He flicked his fingers to Phillips and Wilson. "Set the charges with a ten minute ignition sequence and follow me."

"Ten minutes," Rose yelped. "But our jump pads won't reactivate for another twenty! You'll kill us all."

"For the good of this fine country," the Commander snaked in response. He stalked ahead of the trio into the room.

"Oh," Rose snarled as she pulled her phone from her pocket. "I don't bloody think so."

Andrews watched as Rose thumbed through her contacts. "What're you doing?"

"Calling for back-up," she answered as she thumbed the screen for a Facetime connection. "I'm not dying today – or any other day – on the orders of that wanker." She pressed her back heavily into the wall as she waited for the phones to connect. "C'mon, Doctor, Answer." Her voice softened to pleading. "Please help me."

No sooner had she requested help, and the Doctor's panicked face appeared on the screen. "Rose, thank Rassilon. Look. Wait for me, okay. Don't board that ship under any circumstances. I'm on my way."

She winced. "Uhm."

"Rose. Please. I mean it. If you've ever trusted me, then listen to me now. This isn't what Marcus thinks it is. Don't board that ship."

Her expression was pained as she let her head roll back against the wall and she scanned her phone's camera around to properly show him where she was. "I had no choice, Doctor. As soon as I arrived they put a jump pad on me and we leapt on board."

The Doctor cursed low in his native language and seemed to take a long and calming breath before he spoke again. When he did is was with even and level tones. "Okay. I can't change that I suppose. Can you show me where you are and maybe I can keep you alive until I get there."

She switched the camera so that she could continue to see his face as she scanned the area around her. She could see his locked concentration, the way he worked his jaw, and the suppressed anger slowly bubbling back to the surface. "The team leader - aka Ass Clown – and two other operatives have entered this room." She aimed the camera that way. "He says it's the engine room, but I'm not too sure about that."

"No," the Doctor confirmed. "That's not the engine room. Too small and there's no guards in place. It's more likely you're reached the laundry room or something else as innocuous."

Both Rose and Andrews gave a snort.

"That doesn't mean that you aren't in Danger, Rose," the Doctor warned sharply. "How many of you are there?"

"As in the group, or left out in the hallway on scout?"

"Right now. Right at this moment. How many?"

She took a breath and prepared herself. "Two."

"Two?" His voice was laced with disbelief.

"Out of five," Rose sighed.

"Get out of there," he demanded desperately. "I don't care who you leave behind, Rose. But, please, get out of there! There is _no_ way that you can possibly hope to contain even a single Sontaran with just two of you."

She shook her head. "I can't. We can't." She raked her hand through her fringe. "We can only jump once every thirty minutes, Doctor. We have at least fifteen until our devices will have powered up again."

"Just hold on for me please, Rose," he begged in a stricken tone. "I'll think of something." His face was wrought with desperation. "Oh, what I would give to have my TARDIS right now."

"Doctor, please," Rose said softly. "Just in case we can't, you know. I just want you to know…"

"No," he barked. "I'm coming for you, Rose. I'm coming to get you, I promise." He smiled with encouragement. "My Rose Tyler doesn't give up now, does she?"

"Oh, I wouldn't…"

There was a loud clatter as the phone fell loudly to the floor. The Doctor let out a yell as he heard Rose scream his name in desperation and then the sound of gun fire.

"Rose!"

 


	8. The ASSistant Director

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor and the Assistant Director of Torchwood finally meet. They don't quite get along.

Torchwood communications was busy when the Doctor breezed in through the doors with his coat flapping behind him and his Converse shoes squeaking on the steel floor. He was the picture of happy confidence as he strode up to the Command panel and took position beside the Torchwood heads.

"Right," he said cheerfully with a clap and rub of his hands. "Which one of you is Marcus?"

While the vast majority of the technicians in the immediate area shrank or ducked warily behind their monitors fearing what may come, the man in question gave the Doctor a smug look. "I'm Assistant Director Graham," he said proudly. "You must be the Doctor." He extended his hand. "I've heard a lot of things about you."

The Doctor ignored the gesture of greeting and merely offered a blatantly fake smile. "I'm fairly sure that you haven't heard the _more_ interesting things, because, _well_ , we wouldn't be at this point, would we?"

"And just what point would that be, Doctor?"

"At the point where I clap my hands and say _Allons-y_ _Marcus_ , you're coming with me."

"And just where would we be going, Doctor?"

The Doctor leaned forward in an exaggerated manner and pointed up to the ceiling of the Command Centre. "Just up there we have a Class-A Sontaran Command ship with, _ohhh_ ," he thoughtfully pressed his lips together for a moment. "Well, about two thousand Sontaran Soldiers, all of them born warriors. All very highly trained and ready to put down their lives in the name of their species." His eyes narrowed as he slide his gaze to Marcus. "Are you keeping up?" He was still stooped slightly forward, but let his eyes lock on the Assistant Director of Torchwood. "We'll be going up there. Just you and me, Assistant Director and Doctor, transmatting on board in the middle of a Sontaran battle fleet to rescue our team."

Marcus folded his arms arrogantly across his chest. "And just _why_ do you suggest that I would join you up there?"

"Oh," the Doctor hummed with a smile as he finally drew himself to his full height. "I'm not _suggesting_ that you join me," he corrected. His smile fell to a warning snarl. "I'm insisting."

"We have a facility filled with trained soldiers," Marcus snapped. "Of which I am not. Why would you even think I might be in any way the appropriate person to join you, Doctor?"

The Doctor flicked open his jacket to thrust his hands deeply into his trouser pockets and gave a short smile as he looked to the ground, and then shifted just his eyes upward. "It'll just make things easier for me, really."

"What _things_ , Doctor?"

"Just _how_ much have you been told about who I am, Assistant Director?"

"Is that important?" He gruffed in response.

"It might well be," the Doctor offered in a faux friendly manner. "You see, Rose Tyler is up there on that ship. She was sent up there on your orders. Orders, I might add, that were given before you had any real tangible intelligence about who the Sontarans are and why they're here." He leveled a look of question to the Assistant Director. "You _do_ _know_ who the Sontarans are, yeah?"

"I am fully aware of the current enemy situation, Doctor," Marcus growled in irritation. "And I will thank you to not continue to waste our time throwing a tantrum because you couldn't hold hands with your girlfriend on the big, bad, ship." He waved a dismissive hand at him. "You are dismissed."

A momentary expression of disbelief crossed the Doctor's face as the words of Marcus blew through him. That look was quickly exchanged for mild annoyance as he leaned down to the console and pressed the knuckles of both fists either side of a thin microphone. He flattened his palms, drummed his fingers briefly as though seeking calm and then set his fingers down on the keyboard and called up a screen that was rolling through information currently being shared between the Torchwood and Sontaran computer Networks. He dropped his head with a huff. "This wasted time is quite necessary I'm afraid," he muttered evenly as he looked at the time remaining on the screen. "And don't you think for a moment that I am in any way thrilled about it."

Marcus pointed first to security and then to the Doctor. "Can someone please remove this man from my command room? I've had quite enough."

"Oh," The Doctor breathed darkly. "You haven't had anywhere near enough, I assure you."

"Go and play your games elsewhere, _Doctor_."

The Doctor was clearly irritated and slowly slid a furious glare toward Marcus. His voice turned a rich, thick, dark tone as both hands rolled back into fists on the console. "You think I'm playing? The woman I love has been taken hostage on an Alien ship filled with Ancient warriors who have nothing better to do than destroy entire planets just because they're in their path, and you're accusing me of throwing tantrums and playing games?" The Doctor's lip gave a dramatic curl as he pushed himself off the console and launched himself at Marcus. He growled through gritted teeth as he slammed the Assistant Director against the wall and held him firmly in place with his forearm across his throat. "I don't know what you've been told about who I am, but you should know that I am not a man who plays games when there are lives at stake." He pushed his forearm harder against the throat of the Assistant Director. He hissed through his teeth at him. "Especially when Rose's life is one of those at stake."

Pete Tyler's voice boomed from the doorway. "Doctor. That's enough!"

The Doctor's head slowly turned to the doorway. His eyes hardened further for just a moment before he grunted and forcibly pushed himself away from Marcus. He stepped back with a firm point toward the man. "Like it or not, you're coming with me. Because if she has one scratch, even one hair out of place…"

"I'm not going anywhere with you," he croaked as rubbed his throat. "You're a mad man."

"That's been said more than once."

Pete Tyler moved quickly up stairs and fired Marcus a frustrated and disgusted glare before he took place beside the Doctor. "Doctor," he said with a nod in greeting.

"Pete."

He took a very deep inhale and glanced sideways to the Doctor. "Jackie has first dibs on ‘im, just so you know."

The Doctor snorted.

"So what've we got, Doc? What can you tell me?"

The Doctor raked his hand though his hair. "Not much more than you already know right now. I'm waiting for the General to make contact so I can confirm the link and Rose's position."

"You're going straight in and out, then, no messing about?"

The Doctor noted the disappointment in Pete's tone and licked at his lip. "Well that all depends, really." His face broke out into a happy grin as Spencer jogged in through the doorway. "Spencer! Did you find what I needed?"

Spencer panted as he made it up the stairs to the command platform. He swallowed over a dry tongue and leaned on the railing as though he'd collapse if he tried to stand of his own volition. "Yeah," he managed as he held up a jump disk. "We're on lockdown, which means no elevators, I had to clear seven flights of stairs - twice – to get you this thing." He tossed it into the Doctor's waiting hands.

"Brilliant," the Doctor breathed as he double checked the device and held it at his side. "Now I think I'm adequately equipped to get up there and do what needs to be done." His gaze shot to the view screen as it swam and flickered into focus. "Okay. First things first. Here we go." He put his hand down on to the shoulder of the technician at the computer. "Maintain the link and let my program do its thing."

"Of course, Doctor."

A grainy image of the Sontaran General quickly phased into view. He appeared to look at the array of people in the Torchwood command room, and then let his focus settle on the man in the pin striped suit. "Doctor," he said smugly. "You received my invitation I see."

The Doctor slid his hands into his pockets and cleared his throat. He answered with forced joviality. "If you mean the great big space ship in the sky over London, then yep. Received. Thank you." He shrugged. "Sorry I didn't get a chance to RSVP just yet, but I have to confirm my schedule with the missus first." He rubbed at the back of his head. "And I seem to be having a bit of trouble getting hold of her right now. Any chance you could point me in the right direction?"

There was the smallest of yelps as Rose was dragged into view from her position just off camera. "Doctor!"

He tried to hide the fracture in the relaxed façade he was projecting. He managed to hold it to just an eye twitch and a slow grinding jaw movement until he saw the tiredness in her eyes and the large open wound on her forehead. The façade fell quickly to one of anger. He whispered her name quietly and let his eyes scrape along the transmission image toward the Sontaran leader. "What do you want?"

"I think that's obvious, Doctor," the General responded with a hint of victory in his tone. "Victory against your planet Earth. Victory for Sontara." He turned as his men chanted loudly behind him. With a smug smile he looked back to the Doctor. "I have the woman you love captured and at my side. If you try to stop us, Doctor. She will die."

"You don't get to threaten her," he snarled in response.

"You aren't in a position to stop me," he said with a smirk. "We've jammed your networks and have rendered your ability to teleport onto our ship impossible. Your TARDIS will be destroyed if you attempt to board our ship."

The doctor looked through his brows at the General. He gave a sickened smile and flicked a brow in challenge. "Are you underestimating the travel ability of the Time Lord and his TARDIS, General? You of all people should know that I can _always_ find a way."

He thrust the muzzle of his weapon under Rose's jaw with enough force to make her wince and lift her chin. "Try it, and your woman will perish."

The Doctor leaned down to the microphone. "You should know one thing, General. The only thing in this universe that is more dangerous than underestimating _this_ Time Lord, is to make a threat against my Rose. I accept your party invitation, General. I'll be right up." His eyes flicked to his beloved. "Rose?"

"Yes, Doctor?" Her voice was full of hope.

"I'll see you soon." He leaned forward and quickly shoved at a lever to cut communication to the Sontaren ship.

"Okay, okay," he muttered with a pace as he ran both hands over his hair and laced his fingers together at the back of his head. "This is good, and this is bad. Good. Bad. Good. Bad." He let his hands fall and lifted his chin to display a manic smile. "Oh no. This is _brilliant._ Brilliant! Molto Bene!"

Pete was confused. "Doctor?"

The Doctor quickly slid into the empty seat beside the Technician who he'd tasked with maintaining the link with the ship. "Did it complete?"

The technician nodded quickly. "About thirty seconds before you disconnected, why?"

"Perfect," he cheered as he took control of the mouse and scrolled impossibly fast through all of the information downloaded to the system.

Pete thumped him on the shoulder. "Care to share what is so brilliant about my daughter being held hostage up there?"

"Oh. No, no. There's nothing good about that," The Doctor said quickly with a frown as he completed reading the information. "Nothing at all. But for now she's safe. They're using her as their insurance, so I say she's got, oh, about fourty five minutes, give or take. That's plenty of time for me to get up there and…"

"He's disabled our ability to transmat onboard," Pete argued.

The Doctor gave a short, breathy, laugh. "Not exactly." He walked around the computer terminals analyzing all of the varying information produces by each console. "These soldiers are from the parallel universe," he began with a smile. "This means they haven't taken time to consider the different atmospheric and wave energy conditions of this earth."

"How can you be so sure of that," Marcus chirped. "How can you be sure that they're from the alternate?"

"Easy," the Doctor said with a waggle of his brows. "They think I'm _him_." He felt the need to clarify without being asked and just rattled on with his explanation. "According to the data we just pulled from the ship, it seems that they've set jamming fields against the TARDIS materialization base codes and are scanning for Time Lord binary vascular biology on their ship." He grinned. "I am not a Time Lord, well, not a full one anyway." He punched at his chest. "One heart. Just one."

He waved his hands through the air as he began a brisk and circular walk. "So the good thing about all that is that I can get on that ship completely undetected. I can rescue Rose, send these Sontarans home and be home in time to get back to our anniversary celebration dinner while it’s still our anniversary." He looked to Pete with a toothy smile. "Brilliant!"

"Nice Hypothesis," Marcus muttered to rain on the parade. "And if you're wrong?"

The Doctor offered a very boyish, wide-eyed smile and held his hand up. "Well we always have this, don't we?" He paused to admire it a moment. "Sontaran portable jump disk recovered from a crash site yesterday." His brow lifted. "Which, was also the cause of quite a spectacular disagreement an hour and a half ago." His voice softened dramatically, full of regret. "Oh. Rose. I'm sorry."

He looked up very quickly at Pete Tyler and gave a tight-lipped smile. "Yep, okay. Right. So. I'm going in." He pursed his lips. "Wish me luck."

"You're not going up there." Pete stepped forward quickly as the Doctor palmed the jump device. "Not _alone_ you're not."

He let out a breath as he opened his eyes to find himself in the middle of a corridor in the middle of the alien ship. "Sorry, Pete. I have to do this alone."

 


	9. Half Time Lord Half Human

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Hybrid Time Lord pokes around a Sontaran ship like a Tafelshrew scamping through the halls of Lungbarrow.

Pete Tyler merely shook his head as the Doctor disappeared into a bright blue flash before him. "I suppose that I’m to assume that every remaining transportation device within this facility is rendered completely bloody useless right now." He slid his eyes to Marcus. "Yeah?"

Marcus nodded his head and rubbed at his chin. "If what the talking potato said was true, then yes, they're all dead. Which means five soldiers, plus the _Doctor_ , with no way out."

"Take the smile out of your voice when you say that," Pete warned.

Marcus gave a short grunt. He worked his jaw a moment, and then turned to the Director. "Pete. I want him _out_ of Torchwood."

Pete Tyler kept his eyes straight ahead. "Why?"

"Because he's the very thing we are fighting to protect the planet against."

Pete's eyes rolled upward. "You're just butt-hurt because the man didn't agree with your decision to send in a team without knowing just what we were dealing with." He smirked. "And that he so magnificently managed to publically call you out for it."

"He's an _alien_ , Pete. Aliens attract other aliens."

That was a fact Pete couldn't exactly deny outright. There did seem to be some magical alien trouble magnet attached to the Doctor – and by association Rose. He played it off however. "Sending out probes proclaiming our presence in the universe and inviting contact with other worlds will do that too." He let his eyes shift to Marcus. "The Doctor remains as one of our key operatives, both in the lab and in the field. I advise you to make nice and get used to his presence here, because he'll be here a while."

Marcus leaned in with a sneer. "I wouldn't count on it."

Pete smiled thinly. "Watch it, Marcus. That sounds like a threat."

"A promise," Marcus sneered as he turned and stalked off to another area of the Command station.

Pete watched with suspicious eyes as Marcus walked away from him. It was true that he absolutely did not like the man; slimy little greaseball that he was; but he had to give credit where credit was due. Marcus was a political master. Torchwood really couldn't remain financially stable if it wasn't for him.

But facts were facts and right now Pete Tyler needed some. The Doctor had obviously missed a couple of glaringly important questions on this particular assignment – or maybe not and he was simply prioritizing – and Pete felt that it was up to him, as Director of Torchwood, to dig a little deeper and have those questions answered.

Because the President would sure as hell ask them when the reports came in.

He turned his attention to the scruffy looking lab tech beside him. "Spencer. Question."

Spencer switched between rocking on his feet and biting on his nail. "Shoot."

"You're very up to date on Rose's reports on the entities that she and the Doctor encountered on their previous travels together, am I correct?"

Spencer nodded. "Yep. I've even gotten some of that extra cred by enduring some of the tales of adventures not quite fit for reports to the President." He gave a chuckle and then a werewolf's howl.

Pete let out a breath. "I don't know if I've missed any of those reports, but can you recall any involving Sontara and Sontarans?"

Spencer shook his head. "She's never mentioned them. And considering as a group they resemble a sack of potatoes, I'd bet my wage that she wouldn't be able to hold back in telling me all about them at the earliest opportunity."

Pete pressed his lips together and nodded. "Exactly."

"And why is that so important, Sir?"

Pete blew out a breath and glared toward the army of personnel on the lower floor below them. "If the Doctor and Rose haven't ever faced off together against these invaders, then just how did they know about her and the Doctor? How was it that of this whole planet, they _knew_ it was Rose that holds that man's heart?"

"Ouch," Spencer winced. "I didn't think of that."

"And our jump pads. How could they jam a frequency that is untraceable, we've got dampers and then some attached to those pads. It's impossible, impossible. It should be even more impossible to obtain and then block them if you're from another dimension."

Spencer's eyes widened. "You think they were _invited_?"

"I hope not," Pete growled. "Now. I don't recall an alien crash site being discovered within the last several weeks. How did you manage to find a Sontaran pad for the Doctor?"

"There was a crash yesterday, apparently," Spencer advised softly. "Report probably hasn't made it to your desk yet." He looked slightly guilty. "The pad was in the executive wing on the seventh. I only heard about it because I've pinned some specifics into the network to flag and notify me of any matches." He bit his nail. "I came across that because of the writing on it."

"Specific to the Doctor, perhaps?"

"Yah, him. More Rose, though," he said with a shrug. "It looks like it's directly related to the work she's doing right now behind closed doors."

Pete inhaled a deep breath. "Can I _trust_ you, Spencer?"

"Absolutely, Sir."

"Good," he said darkly. "When our team return, I want to arrange for a private meeting between the two of us. Rose swears that you have a keen analytical mind, I'm going to use it."

Spencer grinned. "That comes with a pay raise, right?"

~~oooOOOooo~~

The Doctor warily checked his watch as he continued his movements through the corridors of the Sontaran ship in search of the main command deck, and where he hoped that he would find Rose and the rest of the team – provided, of course, that they were all still alive. There was the definite potential that the Sontaran General had ordered their extermination immediately, but he had to hold out hope that they'd survived.

Today, he hoped, everyone would survive. It had been far too long since he'd had one of those days.

Twenty five minutes he'd been on board. By his calculations, Rose should have at least another twenty before the General started to get all trigger happy. Of course, the General did seem to have the intent to force him to watch as her beautiful life was so cruelly ripped away, so perhaps he had some wriggle room.

He slammed shut the access panel that he'd accessed moments before and gave himself a preparatory shake. It was show time.

With careful deliberate movements, he curled his body around the doorway of a large room and took stock of what he could see within. There was the briefest of smiles as he caught the sight of blonde hair, and of three human males standing to her left.

Four. Weren't there five?

His eyes surveyed the room full of armoured Sontaran soldiers in search of the fifth. He counted them off. He analyzed any potential escape routes and the location of the ship's main control console. A slow flick of his gaze to the floor just beyond the door and his heart sank. The fifth human soldier was on the floor in an unnatural heap on the ground.

Quickly, the Doctor slid in through the door. He kept his eyes on the distracted Sontaran soldiers and dropped to a crouch beside the fallen Soldier. "Now, let's see what shape you're in," he whispered softly as he kept his eyes up and alert, and pressed his fingers into the soldier's neck. "Brilliant," he said with a smile to find a pulse, thumping strongly against his fingertips.

He set the transport disk beside the soldier's arm and settled himself a little more comfortably at his side. "I'm going to need your help," he muttered quietly as he held the man's head; thumbs against the apples of his cheeks and his index and middle fingers against his temples; and closed his eyes. "I’ve got a very important job for you. Don't let me down."

~~oooOOOooo~~

"So much for your boyfriend showing up," the Torchwood team commander hissed toward Rose standing to his right.

"He'll be here, Jackson" she snarled. "And he'll get us out of here."

Jackson gave a gruff laugh. "He's had thirty minutes to figure out how to get up here," he snarked. "What's he doing, making sure his hair's spiked just right and his suit is pressed before he leaves? Bloody joke that man is."

"What's your problem with him?" she demanded through a hiss. "You haven't even met the Doctor so how can you even have an opinion?"

Wilson leaned forward and raised his hand. "I've got no problem with him, just so we're clear. He's a hilarious bastard when you get him going. And _brilliant_." He pointed to his watch. "He did this thing with my…"

"Wilson, shut up," Jackson growled. "We really don't care."

"I'm just saying that…"

"I don't care." Jackson turned his attention back to Rose. "I'm not letting my life hinge on whether or not your _alien_ boyfriend can find a way up here." He tapped at his jump disk. "These things should've reactivated almost a half hour ago. We should've been fine to get out of here, but they're dead."

"I've noticed," Rose breathed.

"So if we're stuck up here, that means they're all stuck down there. And unless your Doctor is Mary-freaking-Poppins and can fly a broom…"

"Umbrella," Wilson corrected.

"Shut up," Jackson growled. "We're all going to get killed because we're standing around like a bunch of girls…"

"You know," Rose snarled. "I'm beginning to hope that they _do_ kill us. In fact, I'm begging for it. I reckon it'll be worth spending my eternity in Hell where I will be more than happy to watch your self-righteous and pathetic ass be skewered daily by red hot pokers."

A hand found hers and a chuckle ghosted gently across her ear. "Now now, Rose. That's not very nice."

She withheld a squeak and a bounce on the spot only because the Doctor pressed his finger gently against her lip. She did manage to whisper his name around his finger.

"Are you okay," he asked softly as his eyes searched her face. At her nod, he pressed his lips against the scrape on her forehead. "Sorry I was late. I had a couple of stops to make on the way."

"You're here now, that's all that matters."

He gave her a wink and pulled away from her to walk himself into the throng of Sontarans. "Which brings me to this." He clapped his hands and put on his most welcoming grin. "Sorry I'm late, General." He ran his hand over his hair and adjusted his tie. " Got held up making myself pretty for the big event." He strode to the command console and leaned his hip against it, waving off the soldiers that immediately trained their weapons on him. "There's really no need for the big toys. I'm not armed."

The General stalked forward, held his head high and puffed out his chest. "Doctor. I was beginning to think you wouldn't make it."

"Well," he began with a huff and a roll of his eyes. "Something was interfering with my methods of transportation, wasn't it? A cab fare up here cost more than my house, and so I was left with little option but to put my thumb out and hitch hike." He waggled his brows as he leaned his hand down on the console. "Offer a few favours, make some friends, you know how it is."

"This isn't the time for jokes," the General snarled.

The Doctor put his hand in his pocket and flicked his finger distractedly against a couple of switches on the console. "Who's joking? It's hard to get a free ride out there." His look quickly turned serious, however. "So. General. What do you want?"

The General laughed, which made many of his fellow soldiers laugh along with him. "Why, we want victory over the Earth. Complete elimination of the human-race. Victory to Sontara!" He turned to his men to urge them into a chant for their world.

The Doctor lowered his head and pinched tiredly at the bridge of his nose. "Yes. Yes. Rah Rah to Sontara." He lifted his eyes to the General and leaned back again on the Console, this time allowing both hands to press into the control surface into a heavy lean. "But that's not really _it_ is it?" He tipped his head to one side. "I mean, _well_ , it's not in your nature to take hostages and wave them in front of a camera as though you're ready to bargain, is it? The Sontarans are a league of ancient warriors who invade and eliminate, not dangle a carrot and look to make a deal."

"We make no deals," the General snarled.

"And yet here we are," his eyes widened and he filled his cheeks with air before finishing. "Here I am." He thrust his hands into his trouser pockets. "You can let them go now," he tipped his head to the Torchwood team. "Now that you've got me."

"The last of the Time Lords," the General boomed triumphantly. "The complete elimination of Gallifrey and all its children." He curled his fist into the Doctor's face. "Victory to the armies of Sontara."

" _What?_ " the Doctor barked with a laugh of pure incredulity. "Are you kidding me? _Victory_ to Sontara for killing _one_ Time Lord?" He raised his head and laughed through a wide open mouth in disbelief. "You're actually going to take credit for the destruction of an entire race of people because you killed _one_ Time Lord."

"The very last of the Time Lords," the General said with a grin.

"Well. See. That's where you might have a problem," the Doctor challenged facetiously with a pop of the p, roll of the r and a wide-eyed nod of his head. "You see. I'm not the last Time Lords. _Well_ , I'm not even fully Time Lord if you want to get purely technical."

"You are the Doctor. You are the last of the Time Lords."

The Doctor's face screwed up a little, maybe apologetic, maybe arrogant, maybe even a touch triumphant. "Well not really." His expression straightened out and he peeled off the console to walk up the length of it, drawing his fingers along the surface. "See. Thing is. I'm not _really_ the Doctor that you're looking for. I mean, _yeah_ , I am the Doctor. But again, I'm not _the Doctor_." He pressed his backside against the console again in a lean. "I'm actually just a Biological Meta-Crisis version of the Time Lord you're looking for. Part Human, part Time Lord. No TARDIS, no time travel, no regeneration." He let out a disappointed breath. "Nothing, really. Killing me isn't going to put you in any better a position than you were, oh, say six months ago. When _he_ was the last one." He looked thoughtful as his voice quietened. "Still is, I guess, seeing I don't really count."

"That’s a lie," the General boomed.

"I'm afraid it isn't," he answered apologetically. "So. You can kill me, yeah of course you can, but it's not going to give you all out victory against Gallifrey." He strode around to the other side of the console to lean against it and regard the General from across it. "But. While I might not be a full biological Time Lord of Gallifrey, I did manage to get enough from my _brother_ that I can make it very, very difficult for you to kill me or my friends," his look darkened and his lip curled as he threw forward a switch on the console. "Or do anything remotely destructive toward this planet."

The General's eyes flashed open. "Kill him! Kill the time Lord!"

There was a horrified and desperate scream from Rose as every firearm in the room pointed toward the Doctor. It was clear that she struggled against the arms of at least two other men. The Doctor gave her a wink and a smile from his position as all weapons tried to fire, but all powered down instead.

He grinned as he thrust his hands into his pockets and rocked victoriously onto his heels. "Oh, but two can play at _your_ game, General. See. I was able to trace into your main frequency jamming field by accessing the lines through the access panels," he tightened his expression in thought. "Ahh, at the second panel from your weapons vault, actually." He waggled his head in a boyish manner. "Sontarans," he breezed with a smile and a dip of his head. "You've always used the same weaponry. Same software, same design, same basic everything, really. Not difficult to set your own jamming signals against what's in here."

"Your beloved planet will suffer for this." The General bellowed with a raise of his fist. "Such trickery won't work with our ship's primary weapon."

"Oh," the Doctor queried sharply as he threw another switch and a massive explosion from deep inside the belly of the craft rocked the Command room. "You mean _that_ primary weapon? Sorry," he snarled. "I guess I shouldn't have reversed the foldback harmonic frequency of the main power feed. It does tend to make things a little unstable." He slammed his palm down onto a button and another explosion shook the giant ship. "Whoops, there goes the bypass valve to the main fuel line. _That_ will take some time to repair, won't it."

The General spun to face the Torchwood team and pointed a stubby finger at them. "Take his friends. Kill them!"

"I don't think so," the Doctor yelled darkly. "All I have to do is press this button and the whole ship will explode."

Absolute silence fell immediately across the command deck. All eyes moved to the doctor, who had his hand up, ready to slam down on a big, green, button.

"I was just warming up," he growled. "Those were just teasers for the final big bang!" He looked to Rose. "Now. You'll let them go or I will destroy this ship and everyone on board."

Rose was aghast. "Doctor. No!"

The General curled a lip, but stood proud. "Then you will destroy us," he demanded. "We will die in battle. It is an honour for a Sontaran to die in battle."

"Yeah, but at my hand?" he questioned doubtfully. "Really?"

"Our death will also be the death of a time Lord. It is honourable."

The Doctor shrugged. "Fine. If that's what you want." He glared to the Torchwood team. "Phillips! On your feet." He pointed to Rose. "Get her out of here!"

Phillips, the prone soldier, leapt to his feet and immediately ran at Rose and the remaining members of his team. Rose launched forward and fought against protective and binding hands as she screamed for the Doctor.

Phillips wrapped his arms around Rose and palmed the blue face of the Sontaran jump device. Inside a giant ball of light, the five person Torchwood team transported off the ship.

The Doctor looked desperately at the dissipating light, and at the fading image of his beautiful Rose. "I'm sorry, Rose," he said sadly as he brought his hand down onto the green button. "I'm so sorry."

 


	10. Chasing the Doctor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose gets more than a little upset that he sent her off, again, and she's forced to go running in after him.

Rose's desperate and terrified screams were the first sounds that filled the room as the materialization field of the Torchwood Five appeared at the centre of the Command station at the Torchwood Tower. Peter Tyler ran immediately to his daughter's aid as Phillips leapt up and launched into a run toward the door with the jump disk in his hand.

"Bring that back to me," she screamed as she took after him in chase. "I have to go back for him!"

Phillips twisted in his run to face her, and stumbled sideways on to his knee. "I'm not to let you go back," he growled. "The Doctor ordered me to keep you here, safe." He got to his feet, launching into his run again while he was still deeply in a forward stoop.

“I outrank him, _and_ I outrank you,” she advised in a voice bordering a screech. “And I _order_ you to bring that disk back to me.”

Phillips, acting solely on the command put in his mind by the Doctor, bellowed a negative response and continued to run to the doorway. He grinned knowing that she was being held by Pete back at their landing spot.

Rose could barely function due to her blinding tears and aching chest, but she could certainly scream out as she tried to push past Pete to get to Phillips in order to steal back her only way of getting to the Doctor. "Bring it back! Now! We can't just leave him there."

Phillips grinned victorious as he made it closer to the doorway. The voice in his mind demanded that he get that disk as far away from Rose as possible, and he was only steps away from making sure that he could complete these mission parameters.

A scruffy young lab tech in a white labcoat, however, had other ideas. Spencer dropped to a crouch and stuck his calf out to trip the man who was quite easily double his size. He let out a yelp of pain as the big man crashed down and dropped the jumpdisk. Spencer grabbed it as it fell from above and immediately frisbeed it toward Rose.

"There you go, Boss Lady," he hollered as he watched Rose snatch it from the air and spin to hold it against her chest. "Go back up there and get him."

Pete's voice hollered out in a demand for Rose to stop. She gave him a helpless, yet apologetic look as she slapped the face of the jump pad. Within a half-second, she was back on board the exploding Sontaran Command ship.

The deck shook violently below her feet. There were sparks and fires blasting all around her. Sontaran men fell and writhed at her feet, but Rose took no notice. Her eyes searched through the smoke for one man, and one man only.

She yelled for him through the smoke and haze. She held her arm across her nose and mouth as she stalked over upturned consoles in search of him. She knew her time was extremely limited and at any time the final explosion was going to obliterate everything. Her eyes stung and she could barely breathe. The only sound she was able to make was to call for him.

Through the smoke and haloed by the light of a fire, she finally saw him. The Doctor stood alone in a low stoop, his arms lightly splayed to his side. The line of his coat and the brown of his pinstripe suit stood out through the haze, and as she let her eyes lift to the silhouette of his spiked hair and his firm, strong jaw, she torpedoed herself through the space left between them.

The Doctor didn't seem at all surprised to see her hurtling through the air toward him. He smiled wide and braced for her impact with his arms opened wide to receive her body against his.

Behind her the shockwave ripple of the final explosion propelled her forward, and she collided against him hard enough for them both to spin in the air. She hit the face of the jump pad and threw her arms around him.

Together, Doctor and Rose rolled across the Torchwood Command Station floor. He held her against his chest as he skidded along the floor on his back only stopping when the two of them collided with Pete Tyler's legs.

The Doctor braced himself for what might come next, because he knew beyond all doubt that him sending her away – yet again – had to have upset her. Oh, and he had no doubt at all that it had. He could feel it. Rose's body was taut against him, not moving and not holding him back in return. He could feel her controlled breaths filling in and out of her chest, slowly leveling and deepening.

"Rose?" he queried softly with a tender stroke of her hair. “You okay?”

She climbed off him slowly and drew herself to her full height. He remained on the floor on his back and looked up at her. He offered her his most gratefully thrilled smile.

"You are _amazing._ "

She held her hand down to him. "Get up," she growled in order.

He winced. Oh. Yes. She was mad.

"Yes. Quite right," he mumbled as he took hold of her hand and grunted as he hauled himself through bruising hips and shoulders to a stand. He didn't think it anywhere near appropriate to stand at his full height in front of her. Especially not as she was doing her darndest right now to heighten herself an extra inch or two. He settled with a slouch as his hands found his trouser pockets. "Thank you."

She shifted slightly. "Come with me."

"Rose."

" _Not_ a request!"

He understood that she wanted to talk, and it was a discussion best not held in the presence of the Torchwood Control personnel. He obediently followed, and wasn't thinking when he instinctively reached forward to take her hand in his.

Their fingers touched.

Rose froze in place.

The Doctor immediately searched his memory for the Gallifreyan equivalent for: _Oh. Shit_.

He felt it long before he heard it. Her hand struck across his cheek in a blinding movement so fast he had no way of moving to lessen the blow. The strike threw his face off to the side, and left him in a lean away from her. When the crack rang out in the room, he could feel the vacuum of inhaled gasps from the people still left watching them.

Rose brought her face close to his, hovering close to his ear. She watched the reddening imprint of her hand on his tightly wincing cheek. "You don't _ever_ get to do that to me again, do you understand?"

He remained in his lean, but brought his face to hers. His voice was soft, croaky, and unapologetic. "I wanted you safe, Rose."

She grabbed at the lapels of his blazer and snapped his face up to look at him directly in the eyes. "In case you haven't learned by now, Doctor. Being with you, _unsafe,_ is where _I_ want to be."

He said nothing in response to her. He merely gazed upon her with an expression that left no doubt to anyone who could read him that it would be far from the last time that he’d push her out of harm’s way to place himself in the direct line of fire.

Rose read it perfectly and let out a huff of annoyance. “Fine,” she finally muttered as she ran her hands somewhat condescendingly along his lapels and dropped her eyes to watch the movement of her fingers. “Just remember, _Love_ , that I am three ranks above yours and have absolutely no qualms at all in making your field assignment duties an absolute living hell should you and I be paired on missions from herein.” She raised her eyes to his. “No qualms at all.”

“I’ll accept that punishment,” he breathed with the slightest tic of a smile at the corner of his mouth. “But I doubt I’ll learn the lesson any time soon.”

“No,” she agreed softly with a light pat of her hands against his lapels. “I expect not.” Her eyes slid up to lock on his. “But take note that I am a very _very_ fast study, and I learn best from you and your behavior, yeah?”

“Indeed you do, my very brilliant Rose Tyler.” He resisted the urge to press his lips to hers to finish that statement. She still seemed mad, but was coming down quickly. Was it quick enough? He didn’t want to chance it. He swallowed, kept his hands in his pockets, and rocked ever so slightly toward her. "Just so you know. I'm sorry. Not really that I did it, of course. I’m sorry that I made you mad, because I don’t like making you mad. Not my precious girl. It puts little creases at the corner of your eyes and makes you squint so that I can’t see those magnificent golden amber eyes of yours."

Would flattery get this Time Lord anywhere?

“Have I said that I love you and that you’re completely amazing?”

Rose worked her jaw and locked her grip even tighter on his lapel. Her eyes darkened as he gave her his most boyish, wounded, apologetic look. She swallowed hard as she felt the most feather light touch of his fingers against her elbow.

“It’s still our anniversary, you know,” he offered with a smile and a bob of his head into her field of vision. “And our evening had started out so lovely, hadn’t it?”

She couldn’t help but smile at that. “It did, didn’t it?”

“And I hear that make-up sex is rather phenomenal.”

She squeaked in embarrassment and thrust her wrist upward to cover his mouth in her hand. “Doctor! My _father_ and my _colleagues_ are here.”

“Oh, don’t mind Spencer,” he muttered muffled behind her hand. “He already got an eyeful of what the plans were.” He then offered a somewhat apologetic look to Pete. “Sorry. Wasn’t really thinking just then.”

Pete winced uncomfortably and rubbed at the back of his head. “Yeah. Right. Okay. Both of you. Dismissed.”

Rose licked at her lip. "Home?" she asked in a voice so quiet, and so very full of invitation.

He nodded quickly and spoke over a thick swallow. "Oh, Yes."

She dropped her hand to clutch his tightly. "Run?"

He grinned. "Oh yes."

 


	11. January 1, 2005

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Time Lord is giving Rose Tyler new memories of time already passed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cred goes to the awesome Doctor Who writers who wrote the final Doctor/Rose scene. I stole all of it for the beginning of this chapter.

The New Year's air had a definite biting chill in it that Rose Tyler wasn't quite prepared for. A promise of mild temperatures and clear skies from the nightly weather forecaster made Rose choose a light hoodie over a jacket. She added a long scarf and floppy beanie to the ensemble and was thankful for that little bit of fashion choice. There was no mildness to the evening. No clear skies. It was snow! Bloody snow!

Meteorology: the only career choice where it is perfectly okay to get it wrong more often than right.

Rose hugged at herself as she strode toward the Powell Estate alongside her mother lamenting the _Murphy's Law_ evening that had befallen her on the very first day of a brand new year. What a terrific start.

"Too late now," she groused softly. "I've missed it. Midnight. Mickey's going to be calling me every minute. This is your fault!"

Jackie Tyler closed her fists, walking with straight arms as though it would warm her. "No, it is not," she answered indignantly. "It's Jimbo. He said he was gonna give us a lift and then he said his axle's broke. I can't help it!"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Get rid of him, Mum! He's useless!"

"Listen to you! With a mechanic." She lowered the pitch of her voice, and stopped walking to turn to her daughter. "To be fair though. In my time of life, I'm not gonna do much better.

Rose gave a sympathetic rub to her mother's shoulder. "Don't be like that. Never know. There could be someone out there."

Jackie looked up longingly to the sky. "Maybe. One day." She gave a small, half smile. After a moment, realization hit and her smile spread broadly across her face. "Happy New Year!"

Rose grinned. "Happy New Year!" She pulled her mother into a tight hug, clutching her snugly before she pulled away and pointed a cheeky finger at her. "Don't stay out all night!"

Jackie was already off. She answered without looking back. "Try and stop me."

Rose gave a smile and a light shake of her head as she held herself tighter and walked briskly toward home. She passed through a shadowed section of the estate, and jumped slightly at the sound of a moan from deep inside the shadows.

Her face creased in concern to see an unfamiliar face screwed up tight in pain. "You all right, mate?"

The stranger managed to say, "yeah." But it was clear it took effort to do so.

She shuddered in the cold, but eyed him with concern. "Too much to drink?"

"Something like that."

She smiled knowingly. "Maybe it's time you went home."

He dismissively agreed with her.

Rose had to get inside. She was slowly becoming a popsicle and this conversation had to end. She offered him a cheerful smile. "Anyway. Happy New Year!"

"And you."

She turned quickly on her heel and readied to bounce away through the doorway, up the stairs, and into the warmth of her flat. His voice, however, called back after her. She turned reluctantly, not wanting to be rude, but becoming irritated at being so cold.

"What year is this?"

Her eyes widened, but she kept the smile in place – or was it a grimace against the cold? "Blimey, how much have you had?" She watched him shrug. "2005. January the first."

"2005," he managed thoughtfully. Perhaps with mild surprise. "Tell you what." There was pain in his voice; broken as though spoken through tears. "I bet you're going to have a really great year."

"Yeah?" Her eyes locked on to his smile. She held for just a moment before the cold bit at her again and she began to move. "See ya!"

Rose ran quickly through the snow. She spared the stranger a glance through the window as she ran up the stairs. Cute. If she had to encounter a creepy stranger in the middle of the night, he may as well be at least slightly handsome.

She chuckled at her train of thought as she shucked off her jacket and rubbed at her arms to warm up. She walked into the bathroom and looked into the mirror as she prepared to go through her nightly routine of make-up removal, brushing her teeth and using the bathroom. Her eyes widened at the reflection looking back at her.

The man from the estate grounds looked back at her from the other side of the mirror. Tears rimmed his eyes and he held a lost and devastated look upon his face. His breath quickened, deepened.

"I don't wanna go."

A light began to glow across his skin. His face and hands glowed. He panted quickly and deeply as though awaiting the inevitable, and then threw his head back with an almighty yell as light burst from within him.

Rose screamed.

"Doctor! No!"

~~oooOOOooo~~

The Doctor was downstairs in the kitchen tinkering with his second attempt at a Sonic Screwdriver and lamenting to absence of bananas in the fruit bowl when he heard Rose scream from their bedroom. There was no second thought in his mind as he shoved the chair backward across the floor with enough force for it to topple backward and then launched up the stairs.

He made it to the doorway and paused for only a second with his hand locked around the frame. Rose writhed on the bed, her forehead beaded with sweat and her voice yelling with complete and terrifying agony.

"Rose!" he yelled as he leapt onto the bed and put a hand on each shoulder to snap her to wakefulness. "Rose! Wake up."

Her eyes flashed open and her breath flew into her with a hard gasp. Her breath held as though refusing to release and only did so when she managed to focus on his panicked expression.

"Doctor," she yelped tearfully as she threw herself against his chest. Her hold tightened and her head changed positions against his chest with every breath and every fought sob. "It's you. You're here."

"Of course I am," he assured gently as he pulled her much more firmly against him to try and stop her unsettled movements. "Right here. Not going anywhere."

"But," she hiccupped as she pulled back from him. "But you were there. I was there. It was so real. You." She looked into his face with a look of terror. "Oh my God. You regenerated." She hiccupped again. "And you were all alone."

He rubbed at her arms. "Rose. It was a dream. Just a dream. I'm here. We both know that I'm not ever going to regenerate. What you saw was just a dream."

"It was so, so, real." She whimpered with a shake of her head as she pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes. "But why would you go to me when I didn't know you," she asked without looking at him. "Why would you do that?"

He slid underneath the duvet to settle himself more comfortably beside her. Obviously her mind hadn’t yet woken enough for rational thought, so he opted to just quietly snuggle her against his side and let her talk herself through it. “I’m here, Rose,” he assured her softly. “Right at your side.”

She wiped at her eye with the back of her hand. "No. You were _there_ , Doctor. New Year’s Day, 2005?" She swallowed. "You talked to me, Doctor. You needed help, but you didn't ask me for help. Why wouldn't you let me help you?"

He frowned. "Rose," he warned firmly. "It was a dream. That's all. It wasn't real. It's just an involuntary succession of images, ideas, emotions inside your mind. That's all."

She shook her head angrily. "No," she snarled. "It was _real_. You were _there._ I _saw_ you _."_ She tapped at her temple. “I remember it. I remember seeing you there. This isn’t a _dream_.” She looked disgusted at the thought. “This is a memory.”

Arguing probably was not the very best method of talking her down right now, but the Doctor had to press into her that it was all just a creation of her mind. There was no way that she saw him in 2005 before she'd even met his ninth version. He'd remember it if he had, and The Doctor – even in his darkest, loneliest, moments after losing her during Canary Wharf – had never entertained the idea of travelling back in time just to see her. He certainly _never_ would have dared break the laws of time to actually talk to her. So there was no way. None.

Unless…

_Oh-h-h. No-o-o_.

He _hadn't_?

He _wouldn't_. Would he?

_No-o-o_.

The fully Time Lord Doctor must have broken the rules and crossed the time streams to see her. He was creating new memories inside her mind. _But why?_ What would make him do something so stupid? Did he need help? Had something happened?

He took both of her hands and held them loosely against his thigh. "Okay Rose. Tell me what you remember. Let me see if I can help you make sense of it."

She nodded and let the last of her terrified sobs subside into the back of her throat. She took a breath and raised her face. "I was walking with mum. It was snowing. We'd gotten stuck at the Estate because Jimbo's car broke down and we couldn't get a lift." She let her head tilt downward and took her eyes from his to concentrate on her memory. "There was no one on the street. Nothing. No. _Wait_. The TARDIS. I walked past the TARDIS." She looked back at him. "I didn't even notice it, Doctor. I walked right past it like it was nothing."

He nodded in understanding. "It's okay, Rose. You didn't know what it was back then. You weren't supposed to notice it."

Her brow creased and she nodded. "I know, but I feel like I should, you know?"

"I know."

She let out a breath. She was calming quickly. "And anyway. So I walked down to where the flat is. And you were there." She looked at him with wide and insistent eyes. "You were _right_ there, in the side, in the shadows."

He tried to shake the image of a stalking Time Lord hiding in the shadows like a creep. "And?"

Her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my God. I thought you were a drunk. You could barely stand."

The Doctor's eye twitched. Recreational drinking wasn't something he typically indulged in. "Drunk, Rose, or injured?"

"Either or," she admitted with an apologetic look and tip of her shoulder to her ear. "At the time I thought you were drunk. But." Her look turned to one of urging. "Do you remember?"

The Doctor shook his head. "No, Rose. I never went back to see you. I couldn't."

She actually slumped at that. "Time Laws and all that, yeah?"

He lifted her chin with the crook of his index finger. "No, Rose. I didn't because I wouldn't have been able to handle letting you go again."

"So definitely not you then?"

"No, Rose," he said with unnatural softness. "Not me."

Tears filled her eyes. "So it was _him._ "

The Doctor nodded. "Looks like it."

"But why?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

The Doctor closed his eyes for a moment. He took a breath, opened his eyes and touched his hand to her shoulder. "To say good bye," he suggested softly as he lightly drew his fingertips down her arm toward her wrist. "Maybe he knew that his regeneration was coming and he wanted to see you one last time before he became a new man."

Rose quickly moved forward and buried herself into his bare chest. She rolled her head to let her ear press against his heart. "So he's dead?"

He let out a sad breath. "Time Lords don't die, Rose. They regenerate. He's fine, whoever he's become."

"Will he remember us?"

"Of course he will." He swallowed. "I remember everything. Everyone. Same man, just a different face, remember?"

Her face hardened and she shook her head against his chest. "No you're not. You and Nine were very different men."

"With the same love for the same woman," he offered gently. He lay her back down onto the bed and leaned over her with a smile as she so innocently looked back up at him. "Your beautiful face, and the feelings we have for you are going to be with him no matter how many times he regenerates."

He reached up to brush her fingertips against his cheek. "Do you love me, Doctor?"

"Yes," he promised as he dropped his mouth to her collar bone and breathed hotly against her cool skin.

"Tell me," she urged with an arch of her back that invited him to move atop her.

He moved to settle himself between the part of her thighs and dragged his open mouth across the pulse point in her neck. "I love you."

She took her hand in his. "No, Doctor. Not like that."

He raised his head to give a confused look, and only managed to offer her a wide-eyed and shocked gaze as she brought his hand to her face and crudely tried to position it for him to touch her mind.

"I want you to show me, Doctor. Show me that I can't be forgotten." She couldn't fight the tears that rolled form the corners of her eyes. "Please."

"Rose?" His voice held apprehension and slight warning. He wanted to, _oh absolutely yes_ , he wanted to do this. He would give away every remaining regeneration – and even most of his past ones - to hear this request come from her. But, this was love making Gallifreyan-style, and he wasn't completely sure that in her current state of mind she would be able to handle it. "You know what it means for me to do this, yeah?"

She nodded frantically, her breath drawing in and out of her shakily. "Yes, Doctor."

"Are you sure?" He licked at his lip. His entire core was burning in anticipation. His mind flickered with absolute desperate desire for this. "I'll know everything about you, Rose. Everything. No secrets."

A swirling light of amber swam in her eyes, "Maybe it's time you did."

 


	12. Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Questions ... the Doctor has a few.

The Doctor sat on the edge of the bed with his legs over the side and his feet planted firmly on the floor. His elbows dug sharply into his knees as he supported his currently heavier-than-lead head in his hands. He was still naked, still damp with sweat and still shuddering from and explosive climax. He hadn't even yet begun to try to make sense of anything that was currently cursing through his mind. He certainly hadn’t attempted to come to terms with the fact that for the very first time in all of the 800-odd years that he had been mature enough to engage in love making – matrimonial or recreational – that he had actually found himself on an emotional level so insanely debilitating that it had brought him to tears.

_Tears!_ What kind of man finds himself fighting tears during sexual climax? _Really?_

He was somewhat thankful that Rose didn't understand his native language. She didn't need to hear how he had begged her – _begged her_ – to take him for all eternity, through this regeneration, through any future regenerations, through all of time and space and to the very ends of the universe. He offered her his very heart and soul. Oh, and marriage? Yeah, that offer was put on the plate as well, but her idea of a human union of rings and _I do's_ didn't even come close to the offer he'd presented her with. He wanted to have his name branded in light upon her palm, to give her a permanent life union that would truly be _till death do us part_. He promised to give himself to her, and only her, forever.

Since when did he become such an incredible _Sally_? Him. The Doctor. The Time Lord Renegade. The man forever running. What had happened to him to make him so unbelievably love struck that he would make such promises without even thinking?

Such a _Human_ word. Such a _Human_ emotion.

On Gallifrey he didn't even know if any such emotion still existed in the final centuries before the TimeWar.. Aside from the union between his parents, he'd never really seen such devastating need between two people he had between couples on Earth. Well, at least not within the houses of the Time Lord Empire, anyway. Marriage was purely political. Connections were made, some strengthened, some evolved into something more. Not many, and it certainly never happened to him inside of his marriage, but he presumed it happened from time to time.

And then that declaration of: _I love you._ That phrase did not exist in his language. This he knew for a fact. He had curiously searched his mind, and even the archives on the TARDIS looking for the Gallifreyan equivalent of _I love you_ back when he was Number Nine and began to experience moments of jealousy and longing for his pretty blonde companion _._ The best he could find was a promise of: _My hearts beat for you_.

Close enough, he supposed at the time. It was sufficient. _Well._ Sufficient, maybe, until the incident at the Game Station. There he was, stuck alone inside the 500th level. Surrounded by Daleks and lorded over by the Dalek Emperor. He faced his demise at the death ray of his most formidable adversary. He accepted it. He was ready to die. He knew that Rose was safe, and that she would live a _fantastic_ life without him, so he was okay with it.

But Rose didn't do what he had intended for her to do. She didn't listen to him and do as he asked her to do. Instead, she tore apart his ship, looked into the very heart of the TARDIS, inhaled the entire vortex, which almost guaranteed her death, to come back for him. She told him that she wanted him safe; _her Doctor_ , _protected_ ; and it was at that very moment that he understood the promise of his hearts beating for her sorely underrated the true emotion. Shit, with her sacrifice even the Human equivalent didn't come close.

Even dying for her seemed to be less than worthy, although he presumed that if he didn't regenerate it might end up worthy in some small way.

He rubbed at his brow with his thumb and smiled to himself. Oh why was he even bothering to try to name it?

Behind him, nestled deeply in her pillows and snuggled underneath their duvet, Rose whimpered his name while she slept deeply. He leaned back to kiss her on the temple and lingered for a moment. He whispered his devotion into her ear, and sat back up with a stretch and a groan. He knew that sleep wasn't going to come any time in the near future, so the Doctor used his toes to pick up his pajama pants from the floor and slowly pulled them up over his hips. He tied the ties only enough to provide him a little dignity, and then scratched at his hair as he made his way back downstairs to pick up where he had left off on his new Sonic Screwdriver.

Upon entering the hallway toward the kitchen, however, a blinding series of images came into his mind that drove him to his knees. He held the doorframe for support against collapsing completely and looked up to the ceiling as his mouth gaped in absolute confusion.

Pages of crudely drawn Circular Gallifreyan symbols and TARDIS coral structure blue prints shot through his mind. Teachings from his former regeneration sounded from each corner of his mind, instruction and demands, confusion and pain. Bright searing light and the Time Vortex itself building and burning. A number. A code: 030705

And with a breathless gasp, it was gone.

The Doctor fell hard onto both knees. He panted out breaths of utter confusion while he covered his eyes with his hands. What in Rassilon had all that been? For sure none of those images were memories. They couldn't be. Not _his_ anyway. Not, unless he had some serious memory gaps – which he most certainly did not. What he was seeing was something else entirely. Something from the mind of his beloved Rose Tyler.

But. If his former regeneration was buried inside her memories and the Doctor didn't remember any of it. Then where was he; and what was he doing with Rose?

He spun in place on the floor and leapt up to run up the stairs and get dressed. Whatever was going on, the answers were at Torchwood.

~~oooOOOooo~~

Spencer was face-down on his keyboard, drooling from the lip and scratching at his behind when the Doctor strode in through the doorway. He paused for a second with a somewhat amused look on his face as he toyed with just what option he was planning to take in alerting the young lab tech to his presence in the room.

On one hand, he could move about quietly and let the kid continue to sleep.

On the other, he could smack his hand down on the table and scare the absolute bejeezus out of him.

An option somewhere down the middle suggested that the Doctor could take a more respectful and nurturing approach and lightly wake the lad and tell him that he should have knocked of several hours ago and to scoot off and enjoy his weekend.

  1. The Doctor being the doctor, he opted for door number two. He gave the table beside Spencer's head a loud thump.



"Allo Spencer!" He called loudly. "Fancy seeing you here."

Spencer gave a horrified, sleepy, yelp as his head shot up off the keyboard. "Whatever I did, I didn't do it," he spluttered.

The Doctor gave a toothy and playful grin as he waited for Spencer to – at the very least – wipe the drool off his cheek. "Whatever I did, I didn't do it," he repeated slowly. "Not the most believable of defenses, but if it's worked for you in the past, then good for you." He took a bite of his banana and leaned his elbows on the table across from Spencer. He regarded the young man with his typical wide-eyed manic stare and even managed somehow to grin even while he chewed.

Spencer finally registered just who it was that had so spectacularly interrupted his beauty sleep. "Oh, hey Doc."

"You do know that five PM was eight hours ago, right?"

Spencer pointed at a second banana sticking out of the Doctor's jacket pocket. "Yeah. And you do know that too many bananas can block up your system, right?"

The Doctor eyeballed the half-eaten fruit in his hand. "Oh. Yes _well_. That might explain a few things, then." After a moment he shrugged and took another bite. He spoke around his mouthful. "Why are you still here? Don’t tell me that my Rose Tyler has gotten you working overtime?"

"Nah," Spencer answered inside a long stretch of his arms over his head. "Pete, actually." His eyes flared as he caught himself. "Nah, I mean. I'm just finishing up before the weekend."

The Doctor took the last bite of his banana and tossed the peel into the trash receptacle at his side. "Pete's got you doing what?"

" _Nothing_?"

"When you answer a question with a question, especially a one word statement posed as a question, you immediately look guilty," the Doctor challenged. " _So-o-o_. Spencer. What's Pete got you doing, then?"

"You're pretty nosey, aren't you?"

The Doctor nodded. "I find that being in the know can sometimes come in pretty handy."

"And I'm also going to assume that if I don't tell you what you want to know that you will needle me until I do."

"Assumption pretty close to correct," he answered with a smile. "So?"

Spencer rolled out a knot in his shoulder. "Since the Sontaran thing happened a few months back, Pete got some suspicions that all is not well within the Torchwood ranks. He's asked me to look a little deeper into a few select people."

The Doctor pursed his lips and nodded. "Rose and I aren't on that list are we?"

Spencer shook his head. "Nah. Only as a commonality between potential suspects." He grabbed his coffee cup from the table and took a long draw, wincing at the ice-cold liquid inside. "Oh, damn. How long's this been here?"

"What do you mean by _commonality_ ," the Doctor asked evenly.

Spencer shrugged, and took another swig from his hours old coffee. "Commonality," he began with a tease. A sharing of features or characteristics in common. Or possession or manifestation of common attributes."

"Well I thank you for that definition, Sir Oxford of Dictionary," The Doctor responded blandly. "What I wanted to know was what do you mean by Rose and I having a commonality with potential suspects? If we aren't on the suspect list, then that has to mean that Rose is in danger."

Spencer saw the tick in the Doctor's eye and held up a hand quickly. "No. No. Calm the beast a moment. That isn't what it means at all." He took another sip of coffee and winced again. "Oh. God. I've got to get a new one of these." He stood up to walk to the Keurig machine on the counter at the wall. "Pete," he continued. "Got his tie all twisted because there were more than a couple of unanswered questions from the Sontaran bit, and he wants them answered."

The Doctor followed Spencer with his eyes as he moved about making a new coffee. "What kind of questions?"

Spencer turned and pressed his backside into the table as he waited for the Keurig machine to heat up. "You and Rose, have you ever come up against the Sontarans? You know, back when you two were travelling together?"

He shook his head. "No. I was with Donna the last time I saw them." He looked thoughtful a moment. "Martha had called me for assistance with a spot of bother."

“Martha?”

“Oh, a brilliant woman was Martha,” the Doctor recalled with a wide grin. “She travelled with me for a little while. You would have liked her, Spencer, she’s a medical Doctor.” He frowned. “ _Well_. She was going to be, anyway. Until she met me. Now she works for UNIT…”

“Martha. Donna.” Spencer looked quite honestly shocked. "Were these girls before or after Rose?"

“Oh,” he answered innocently. "After. Yes. They came onboard after Rose. Well." He took an uncomfortable breath. “Any way.”

Spencer didn't know whether to laugh with male pride for a fellow member of his gender, or clock the guy for being a dog. "Wow," he managed finally. "So while Rose was trying her all to get back to you, you were playing up with other girls." He looked to the Doctor with disbelief. "Were there any more girls between dimensional walls, Doc, or did you just stick to the two?"

The Doctor flicked a brow. "I'm not sure I follow your line of thought right now, Spencer, but yes, I regularly had female companions travelling with me." With Spencer’s gaped look of disbelief, the light went on in the Doctor’s head. "Oh. _OH_! No. No, Spencer. Not in the way that you've got to be thinking. None of them were ever like that."

"Just her, right?"

The Doctor smiled. "Just her, Spencer. Just Rose."

Spencer nodded slowly and turned to prepare his coffee. He spoke without turning around. "So. Then. Who's TARDIS?"

That was kind of out there. "Excuse me?"

Spencer pulled the steaming cup to his mouth and turned back around to face him. "Who is TARDIS? Sounds kind of Asian."

"Time and Relative Dimension in Space," the Doctor answered smoothly. "TARDIS isn't a who, she's more of a what." He paused. "Well. She could be a _who_ if you factor in the sentient nature of the girl. Alive, but not in a the way of a breathing being. But then, she did have her stroppy moments." He gave a grin. "If it has boobs or a Time Vortex Matrix you're going to have problems, _am I right_?"

Spencer rolled his eyes. "Never figured you as the crude type, but, yeah. Accurate."

He shrugged. "Too much time spent with Human men I expect – Especially Wilson, he’s a nice fellow, but behaves a little crass at times.” He shrugged again. “It’s only natural that those types of behaviours will rub off on you. It’s all part of adaptation and survival, really."

“Don’t need the Darwinian theory, Doc.” Spencer levelled him a look. "But I do want to know just _what_ TARDIS is."

The Doctor frowned and leaned back onto the table. "TARDIS was my ship," he answered without hesitation. "My faithful companion for, oh, 700 years give or take a century or two. Hard thing to really accurately determine, _time_ , when you're in a time machine. Every day seems to just run into the next."

Spencer looked confused. "Oh hang on. Rose referred to her as your real true love."

"First love, I guess," the Doctor corrected. "In a purely platonic family sense of course." He gave a wistful smile. "That brilliant girl was with me through thick and thin. I miss her." His expression shifted to curiosity. "Why do you ask about my TARDIS?"

Spencer shrugged. "Rose might've mentioned her when you two were declaring intention of beginning the new Time War right before the Sontaran thing."

The Doctor winced. He'd tried for forget about that one. "Ahh. Yes. We've since signed a peace treaty. Crisis averted if you will."

"So she told you about her, then?"

The Doctor paused. He considered that question a moment. No. Rose had not mentioned the TARDIS for months. He licked at his lip. "We have no secrets," he said carefully.

"So she was able to tell you where the TARDIS is, then." He looked slightly put out. "And she hasn't taken _me_ to see this almighty beast?"

"I wouldn't call her a _beast_ ," he said quietly, confusion in his voice. "Maybe on the inside, but outside she's no bigger than a telephone box." His finger tapped on the table as he considered the options. Could there have been a dimensional splice and the Ninth regeneration made it through and sought out Rose's help? Could that explain the thoughts he saw in Rose's mind? No. _But_? No. He'd remember doing that, right?

His head was beginning to hurt. He slouched and pressed the butts of his hands to his eyes. "Spencer?"

"Yeah, Doc?"

He maintained the slouch and kept his hands at his eyes. "You haven't seen any visitors come in here. 'Bout six foot tall, big ears, cropped hair, bit of a daft looking face, wears black jeans and a leather jacket?" He slid his chin up so that he looked at him through the gaps between his fingers. "Speaks with a really heavy Northern accent? Kind of a rough talking bloke."

Spencer raised a brow and gave a laugh. "No. And trust me, a guy like that isn't real hard to miss."

"No. He isn't." He huffed. His brow creased. "Oh I don't know. I don't get it."

"Oh," Spencer sang. "The Doctor doesn't _get_ something. Quick! Someone call an evac, the apocalypse is coming!"

The Doctor let out a long suffering sigh. "Honestly, I don't know how Rose manages to make it through the day and get any work done with such an accomplished comedian working at her side."

Spencer pointed a finger at him. "Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, you know that?"

"Yeah," he breathed distractedly. "It is."

Spencer frowned. "You okay, Doc? You've suddenly lost your steam."

The Doctor gave himself a shake. "Oh. Yeah. Yeah. I'm good." He cleared his throat as he thought back to the argument he had with Rose, and of something he'd heard Spencer mention to Rose: The existence of her Gallifreyan doodles. His eyes shot wide and his entire manner switched to that of an excited young boy ready to receive his Christmas present.

"Spencer," he spluttered quickly. "You mentioned that Rose was writing in Gallifreyan, and that you'd kept all of them somewhere."

Spencer looked momentarily caught out by the Doctor’s sudden change in demeanour, but he fast shifted to realization as his brain finally processed his words. "Oh, the circle art. Yeah, I remember you saying they were in your language. Hold up, I'll get them for you." He smirked as he jogged to a locked filing cabinet underneath the coffee machine. "I'd love to get a firsthand interpretation of them. It's all swirly jibberish to me."

The Doctor rocked impatiently from foot to foot as he cleared a bench to be able to spread out the drawings. Once Spencer returned with the papers, the Doctor immediately began to spread them out and across the bench.

"Right," he muttered as he pulled his glasses from his pocket and slipped them loosely on the bridge of his nose. He cupped his chin and leaned down in a thoughtful manner. "So what have we got here?" His brows knitted together as he began to reorganize the images. "Oh dear," he breathed as he did some more shuffling. "Oh. No. _Really_? No. _No_."

Spencer looked on with worry as he watched the Doctor move around drawings with urgency and he muttered negatives under his breath. "Doc, what's wrong?"

The Doctor covered his mouth with his hand and stood up straight. "That should be impossible. There is no way that could be achieved."

"Doc?"

He leaned back down over the drawings, his elbow on the desk, and pointed through a series of circles as though working out calculations in his head. "Well. The math's right. But just where did she…?" He pushed himself up and then leaned over to pull another slip of paper and slipped it in between two others. He appeared satisfied that everything was in the right place and gripped either side of the table to analyze the complete array. His jaw hung very slightly as his eyes scanned everything before him.

Spencer looked to him, then to the table, then back up to him, and then to the table again. He leaned forward slightly to look them all over for himself. None of it made any sense to him. It all looked like a six year old had gotten hold of a Spirograph and gone to town with it.

He looked up to the Doctor. "So?"

The Doctor wasn't even looking at the writing any more. His eyes were slightly above the line of the table and he simply stared at nothing. After a very long moment his mouth closed so he could swallow. His voice was very meek and scratchy when he finally spoke. "Do you think that this is directly related to her work," he looked to the vault door. "In there?"

"It has to be," Spencer said with a shrug. "She comes out of there with handfuls of those things, or starts scribbling them at her desk. Why?" He urged. "What does it all mean?"

The Doctor wasn't sure that he wanted to move from his position. His eyes remained on the door to the vault. "They are the mathematical equations for the design of a sustained power system for a TARDIS, including matrix designs and base coding information." He inhaled a shaking breath. "As well as power transfer equations for Vortex energy."

"As in the Time Vortex, Doctor?"

"But that can't exist in this dimension," he muttered distractedly as his face screwed up in confusion. "It's impossible." His face lengthened again. "And, _well_ , the energy indications inside this equation would require a source of _unimaginable_ power. And if you could harness that amount of raw energy, if there's even one error in these numbers, it could destroy half the planet." He moved quickly from his rigid stance and found himself at the access code pad beside the door. His hand shook as it hovered over the number pad.

Part of him hoped that way lay beyond these doors wasn't what he thought it was. The inherent danger of an inexperienced person trying to put all of this together was beyond nuclear. Beyond Supernova.

The rest of him, however…

He punched in the code 030705 and closed his eyes to prepare himself as the door released with a crack and a hiss. With a white-knuckled grip he pulled on the steel handle of the door and hauled it open.

Warm orange amber light welcomed the two men, and they stepped inside with gaping jaws as the small vault expanded within to a massive expanse of space. The walls were lined with brilliant coral arms twisted and curled into a living, thriving, growing structure.

Spencer couldn't hide the awe in his voice. "What. Is. That?"

The Doctor fought the lump in his throat. "Spencer. Meet the TARDIS."

 


	13. Ten versus Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If there's ever more than one Doctor in a room at any given time, there will be snarks and arguments.

Spencer was the first to break the frozen-in-place stance that had locked the two men in position at the entrance to the vault. Momentarily stalled because of the sheer complete fricking awesomeness of the structure before him, Spencer couldn't contain his thrill when he was finally able to move.

"This. Is. Sensational!" He cheered as he ran toward the mushroom-shaped structure at the centre of the space directly in front of them. "I mean, _damn_. This is completely out of this world! Pun absolutely intended." He ran his fingers along the dimpled surface and blew out a breath as he looked back to the Doctor. "Doc…" He stopped his words when he saw that the Doctor had not moved since making the introduction. "Doc, you all right?"

The Doctor gave a very minute shake of his head in response.

Spencer politely managed to squash some of his excitement. "So this is the TARDIS? As in the spaceship ready to fly?"

The Doctor finally blinked and seemed to shake himself into consciousness. His face set into a light frown as he warily approached what he knew was the main control console of the ship. "This is her," he answered quietly. He lifted his hand with all the caution of a man looking to pet a venomous snake. "But she isn't ready for flight yet. She's not even close to ready."

Spencer watched the Doctor timidly set his hand down on top of the console. He bit at his lip to give the man a moment to reacquaint himself with his ship and took his own moment to take it all in and look around. It didn't take him too long to utter the words that _every_ visitor to the TARDIS did.

"Hold on. It’s bigger on the inside. Why is it so big in here?" He looked to the doorway. "I know for a fact that this room is not actually this big." He stretched out his arms as if taking mental measurements. "Nowhere near this damn big."

"Time Lord Technology," the Doctor said quietly.

Spencer looked doubtful. "What kind of _technology_ is capable of fitting something this gigantic into something that's a tenth of the size?"

"If you think she's big now, wait until she is fully grown," the Doctor muttered. His apprehension was beginning to wane and he was finding his voice once more as he took in more and more of the structure. "It's dimensional technology. The inside and the outside of the TARDIS are not in the same dimension."

Spencer flicked a brow. "Okay," he answered doubtfully with an extension to the end of the word. "And is this where you explain to me how we can walk from one dimension into another when all the walls between each are supposed to be closed? You know, because that's what you keep telling us."

The Doctor pressed his lips together as he digested the question. He hadn't had someone actually ask him to explain the technology in a very long time. "The TARDIS is its own dimension," he instructed. "She creates a dimension around herself based upon the, well, the container that it's housed in. In this case, the vault."

"Go on."

The Doctor moved around the main console, familiarizing himself with the layout. "Look at it as Perception and perspective, Spencer. The TARDIS creates a dimension around her that is at enough of a distance from its housing that perception allows it to fit into any sized container that she wishes to." He ducked underneath the console, sliding in on his back, to look up at the wiring. "Does that make sense to you?"

Spencer shook his head. "Not in the slightest."

The Doctor bit at his lip and crawled out from underneath the console to take a quick look around the clutter in the space outside the coral structure. He found two boxes, one smaller than the other and held them side by side. "One is bigger."

Spencer nodded. "Yeah?"

“The big box won’t fit into the smaller box.,,”

“Gee,” Spencer deadpanned. “You really _are_ a genius.”

The Doctor rolled his eyes and held the smaller box toward Spencer. He then held the larger box an arm length behind it. "Take a direct look from the box closest to you. Can you see the larger box?"

Spencer gave the Doctor a cut-eye look of doubt, but played along. With dramatic exaggeration, he closed one eye, stuck his tongue out of the side of his mouth and peered past the first box to see the other box.

"See," the Doctor commented with a smile. "It fits now." He set the boxes on the counter and slid on his back underneath the console once more to take a look. "You can make anything fit if it's dimensionally far enough away."

Spencer rubbed sheepishly at the back of his head. "I still can't wrap my head around it. But I'll trust you on it, because no other explanation would make any more sense than that." He wandered to the console and looked through the centre column down to the Doctor's face. "So she's set to get bigger than this?"

"Much," he answered as he pulled some of the wires and relocated them to a different connection.

“But to the rest of us, it’s small, right?”

"My original TARDIS was in a Police Box…"

"Oh, that thing in the picture on Rose's desktop."

The Doctor looked up with a smile. "She has a photo of her on her computer?"

"Yeah man. Both of you grinning like Cheshire cats in front of a Blue Box."

"Oohh," he hummed appreciatively. "I have to get a copy of that." He went back to the wiring. "The interior of that box was so big, that it took me, once, twenty minutes just to get to the bathroom." He wore a toothy grin. "The old girl was mad at me for something and kept putting walls up in front of me. I walked through twenty five rooms before I found the one I needed." He coughed. "And by that time I needed it _really_ bad."

Spencer smirked. "You look pretty at home down there messing with Rose's work, Doc," Spencer remarked as he leaned against the console. "I know from experience that she will kick your sorry ass into another dimension if she finds out."

The Doctor pulled himself out from under the console and pushed himself up to a stand. He wiped his hands on his thighs. "Habit, I guess. I don't know how many hours I've spent underneath the console of this girl tinkering and fixing."

"Either you're a really bad mechanic, or you had some pretty severe insomnia."

"A little from column a, some from column B," he admitted. His face creased as he allowed the initial excitement at seeing the TARDIS fall to apprehension and hurt. "Why did she keep this from me, Spencer?"

Spencer shrugged. "Beats me. Maybe because she knew you'd tell her that it couldn't be done and so she wanted to preemptively prove you wrong?"

That made the Doctor chuckle. "Sounds like her, but." He inhaled hard. "No. That's not it."

Spencer leaned his rump against one of the coral struts. "I think the bigger question we have right now, Doc," he started quietly. "Is just where did she get the knowledge to do this? I'm a pretty well-versed guy, and I can swear to you up and down that none of this stuff even halfway makes enough sense for any instruction manuals to have been created for it."

"You’re right, Spencer. This isn’t something you can pull from the internet," the Doctor agreed. "But neither are dimension canons, and Rose was able to assist in the creation of those."

"Smart for a blonde girl," Spencer remarked with a tease.

"Smart for any girl, boy, man or woman." He gave Spencer a proud look. "I _only_ take the _very best_ on board my TARDIS." He ran his hand along one of the struts. "And I thought she was brilliant. So brilliant that I asked her twice. I _never_ ask twice."

"Asked her what?"

The Doctor looked to Spencer with a very serious expression. "To travel as my companion." He looked away. "She said _no_ the first time I asked her. By then I'd already seen just how fast she could think and calculate any situation. She'd already saved my life at that point." He looked up to the ceiling in remembrance. "I hadn't even known her for 24 hours and she risked herself to save my life. She didn't even question it, nor second guess it. She just grabbed hold of that chain and swung into danger – all to protect me: A daft, grumpy old man…" He looked back down. "So, after she said no, I left. But I couldn't bear to just give up and walk away. I came back and asked her again." He smiled. "She said yes, and ever since then she's done so much more than saved than just my life – she's saved my very soul."

"You truly love her, don't you?"

"I died for her once," he admitted. "And I'd do it again in a second. If love is a sufficient appellation for that, then yes. I love her." He took a cleansing breath. "By Rassilon, I love her."

"Then make it official, Man," Spencer urged.

“What?”

“Marry her,” he answered with a shrug. “Before someone else swans in and steals your thunder. A girl like Rose doesn’t come along every day you know.”

"Yeah," he answered breathlessly. "Quite right."

This conversation was taking a nosedive toward female bonding style territory, and Spencer simply had to get back adequate levels of testosterone as soon as was humanly possible. He coughed uncomfortably into his fist. "So back to the whys wheres whens and hows of this amazing structure you call TARDIS."

The Doctor's attention immediately caught. "Yes. Indeed. Just where and how did our brilliant, and covert Rose Tyler gain knowledge of the Time Lords to be able to create a thriving TARDIS; and then hide it from a Time Lord," He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Uh, _former_ Time Lord?"

"Rose Tyler didn't hide it," a gruff voice in a language not spoken in years answered. "I did. And for the love of all time and space do not refer to yourself as a _former_ Time Lord."

The Doctor heard Spencer's sudden intake of breath, and turned slowly to the sound of the voice behind him. He could immediately tell the identity of the individual, but hoped beyond all hope that he was wrong.

He wasn't.

"You. Are. Kidding. Me," he growled as he took in the image of his former regeneration in the corner of the TARDIS.

Spencer's eyes were wide, confused, pained, and slightly terrified. "Who the Hell are _you_?"

The image of the Ninth Doctor stepped out from the protective arms of the Coral structure to stand face to face with his Tenth self. "I've been wondering how long it would take for you to find me."

The switch from English to Gallifreyan was so transitionally seamless that the Doctor didn't even realize that he'd moved to his native tongue. "You are an interface," he remarked coolly. "Not actually my former self."

"Astute observation," Nine intoned blandly. He looked toward Spencer. "He shouldn't be here."

"I wouldn't have found you without his help," Ten assured. He did, however, look toward the stunned human in the room. "Spencer, this is…"

"The guy you asked me about earlier," he interrupted with worry. "Do you need me to call security, Doc? Cause I can have someone here pretty bloody quick."

The Doctor shook his head. "This is just an image; an interface; created by the TARDIS to communicate." He frowned. "Which you've never actually done before, old girl."

"I've never needed to before," Nine answered coolly. "It has become necessary in this these critical moments that I draw the additional energy to create an interface to be able to communicate with my Wolf. While she is very brilliant, she does need my assistance to make sure I can be all that I need to be."

"You could have come to me," Ten snapped. "Let the two of us do this together."

Nine shook his head. "No. You wouldn't have allowed my growth."

"How can you be so sure of that?"

Spencer raised his hand. "Uh, okay. You two aren't speaking my language. And seeing as the Doc's looking all pissed off, maybe you might want to give me a brief intro before I go pull a fire alarm or something."

The Doctor didn't look back at Spencer. "This, Spencer, is the image of my previous incarnation. The Ninth Doctor."

Nine's image looked to Spencer and switched to English laced with a heavy Northern accent. "I am the image of her first Doctor. The man who first took her hand – and ultimately her heart."

Ten switched immediately back to Gallifreyan. "You didn't deserve her."

"I died for her," he answered flatly. "What have you done for her lately?"

Ten pointed a finger at him. He opened his mouth to speak. He closed it again. "Spencer. Give us a moment, will you?"

"Go right ahead," Spencer muttered as he took a seat on a coral strut and folded his arms across his chest. "It’s not like I can understand a word you're saying anyway." He held up a hand before either of the Doctors could tell him to leave. "Not going anywhere. This is Torchwood property, more importantly _property of RoseTyler_. I'm standing sentinel to protect it for her."

"If you wish," the Doctor said with a huff. He thrust his hands into his pockets and stalked around the image of Nine. "So. TARDIS. While I want to say that it is lovely to see you again, I do want to make sure that we're clear on my annoyance of you manipulating Rose for your own gain."

"Trust me when I say it was necessary."

The Doctor tapped his foot on the floor in irritation. "Necessary in what way?" He slid his glasses up tightly against the bridge of his nose and analyzed the image of Nine a moment. He let out an unimpressed snort. "Real clever using his image by the way."

"She trusts Nine like no other."

"She also trusts _you_ ," he challenged. "Using my Ninth image was unnecessary. All you needed to say was that you're TARDIS and she would have done anything you asked of her."

Nine shook his head and looked down. "Not _anything_. We were already working together as Rose and TARDIS. She was becoming fearful, and so I called upon Nine to help her. She listens to him. She learns from him. Her heart beats for him."

"Her heart is _mine_ ," he snapped back possessively. He suddenly digested the words and shot a concerned look toward Nine's image. "What do you mean by Rose becoming fearful of you?" His expression widened. "What are you asking of her?"

Nine was quiet for a moment. Finally, after what appeared to be an hour, but was in reality only a handful of seconds, he spoke. "Your brother has regenerated," he breathed carefully. "And with this regeneration fixed moments in time are in place and cannot be altered."

"Yes, yes," Ten groused with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Alteration of a fixed point in time can lead to a paradox that can tear and destroy the very fabric of time." He glared at Nine. "I am usually the one giving that lecture, so I am intimately aware of the repercussions of tampering with time lines."

"Then I want you to keep that very threat of an irreversible time paradox in mind as we continue this discussion," he warned. "What has begun cannot be undone, no matter what your heart wants."

"I really don't like where this is going."

"And neither do I, Doctor, but I am at Time's call and I have to answer." He waved his hand to a crudely positioned monitor atop the command console. It came to life, a blue screen with white, circular, images. "Those are my diagnostic readings. Where I am right now and where I need to be within three of these Earth months."

The doctor moved quickly to the screen and adjusted his glasses as he looked through the data on the screen. His scientific mind quickly analysed the information, and gave the young Doctor a flash of excitement. "Well this is absolutely _brilliant_ ," he remarked excitedly. "How you have managed to draw this much power and sustain your levels even as you exceed the normal growth rate of a typically grown TARDIS is _amazing_." His brows knitted together. "But it is still limited, isn't it? It's not enough to take you to becoming fully functional. And the Time travel. _Well_ , I'm curious to see how you intend to draw upon energies of time when there is none to be drawn from in this…" he stopped mid sentence and tilted his head to one side as realization dawned. "No-o-o." He looked at Nine with a threatening scowl. "You are _kidding_ me." He shoved at the corner of the monitor to twist it out of the way. "If you think, even for a second, that I am going to step back and let you even _try_ , then you're sorely underestimating who I am."

"The process has already begun, Doctor."

"And it stops," he demanded with a growl and a punctuating point of his finger toward the floor. "Immediately."

"It can't be stopped."

"Don't give me that _Time altering is bad_ bullshit," he snarled. "You can find another way to get your job done. Sacrificing Rose is not an option." He flicked up a finger of warning as Nine looked to counter. "I will destroy you before I allow you to hurt her." He pointed at the monitor. "And what you're suggesting is going to kill her."

Nine's lip curled. "There's no other way, Doctor. This is an alternate parallel where no other time energies exist."

"Then give it up," he snapped. "You're not getting anywhere near her ever again. I will see to it."

Nine folded his arms across his chest. "What has begun cannot be stopped," he reminded him. "That isn't just reflective of the set time points, but to what has begun within Rose. The Vortex energies are building and will continue to do so until it overtakes her completely."

His fist came down hard on the console. "What were you _thinking_ ," he demanded hotly. "You're going to kill her!" She shook his head, his hand, and paced angrily. "No. No. I'm not going to let you do this."

"She made her choice," Nine answered quietly. "This was her decision, not mine, not time's, not anyone. She made this decision alone."

The Doctor snarled an angry accusatory look at his former self. "With plenty of _gentle_ guidance from you, no doubt." He balled his hands into fists and shoved them into his trouser pockets. Oh, how he wanted to just strike out at the man in front of him. "What did you tell her? What did you promise her would happen if she did this for you?"

"I told her to let me die; to have a _fantastic life_ ," Nine answered shortly. "I sent her home from the Game Station and was specific in telling her that you were going to die, and she had to be home, be safe, and go on without us."

The Doctor's eyes flared wide with recollection.

Nine continued. "I didn't tell her to rip open the heart of this ship and take into her the entire Time Vortex to come back to save you. I fought that action. I battled against her to prevent her exposure to the vortex."

"But she outsmarted all of us," the Doctor finished quietly. "She came back. She saved me again."

"She gave her life for you, Doctor."

The Doctor snapped a glare of argument to Nine, but said nothing.

"The Time Vortex is alive, Doctor. It is a living, thriving, life force energy. It is too strong for a human body to withstand."

"I know," he growled. "That's why I took it from her and suppressed the energies that I couldn’t."

"It killed _you_ , Doctor; a Time Lord of Gallifrey." He circled the Doctor. "Tell me. What did you think it did to her; a frail Human of Earth?"

The Doctor closed his eyes and dropped his head to the side.

"She was gone the moment she looked into my heart. Your actions only prolonged that death." His eyes narrowed dangerously. "We didn't save her, we just made her a fixed point in time."

"I saved her," he corrected sharply with a hiss through his teeth. "And she is alive, so very alive."

"For now, Doctor," Nine warned softly. "But Time is coming for her, and there's nothing that we can do to stop it."

The Doctor shook his head and stalked toward the monitor at the Control console.

"No," he growled as he took the familiar position at the monitor and started to work through the information on the screen. "I'm not going to let that happen." His eyes flicked up to Nine. "I'm not losing her again."

"There's nothing we can do. It's impossible."

He snorted derisively. "You're forgetting one thing. I'm the Doctor. Impossible's what I do best."


	14. Impossible

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor works to find the solution to the problems presented by TARDIS. The Doctor finds out that he's not exactly what he thought he was.

The Doctor slumped in front of the monitor nestled on the command console within TARDIS vault. He pressed his fingers into his eyes and then dragged them down his face to steeple them thoughtfully underneath his chin. The movement of his fingers pulled at his skin, and he used the motion to unnaturally open his eyes to keep himself alert.

Three hours. For three hours he had been studying the data within the young TARDIS databanks. Three hours. Three hours and very little to show for it except to further illustrate the danger that Rose was facing.

Spencer snored loudly to his rear. The spritely young lab tech had found comfort two hours earlier as he lazed across one of the horizontal coral struts. Sounds of snoring, mixed with the occasional muttering and a snort or fart really wasn't helping with the Doctor's concentration. Twice within the past two hours, the Doctor had considered throwing something at the lad, or rudely awaking him with a demand to sod off and go home, but he held back. For what reason, exactly, he wasn't sure. Probably because the guy was one of those _special_ kinds of people usually picked to go traveling for a trip or two on the TARDIS.

Or he just needed company… The brooding image of his Ninth self had spent approximately ten minutes sulking in the corner before he'd disappeared completely to leave the Doctor to work alone.

And good show that, because the Doctor had spent more than one moment considering ways to wipe that image from the interface, or at the very least alter it a bit just for a laugh.

The Doctor gave a stretch, moaned, and rubbed his palms hard up and down his cheeks. He was exhausted. Completely and utterly mentally fatigued. He couldn't find it within him to close up and go home just yet. He wasn't any closer to coming to any form of viable solution to the problem at hand, and that was really beginning to piss him off.

At the sounds of a grunt and mumble from the sleeping Spencer, a light went off in the Doctor's mind. Coffee! Oh yes. A coffee was just what he needed to wake up those synapses and give him that hit of energy, and maybe even a flash of inspiration. Spencer seemed to function quite spectacularly on his addiction to coffee; perhaps the Doctor could give it the old college try for himself.

He lumbered toward the Keurig machine, yawning and scratching at his head as he set about making himself a coffee. The Doctor – at least in this regeneration – really hadn't gone for coffee over tea at all. He found the smell of it to be quite off-putting, actually. But, the studies were conclusive. It was shown to improve alertness and function, and he sorely needed both at this juncture.

The clock on the wall told him it was now almost four in the morning. A glance at his reflection in the chrome finish of the small fridge told him the same thing. Four in the morning was the time for sleep and recuperation, not for sitting at a computer running through unfathomable calculations and scenario testing. He could – and likely should – just go back home, snuggle beside Rose in their bed, and get some much needed sleep to begin anew at a much more reasonable hour. But who was he kidding? He hadn't had any real substantial, uninterrupted, sleep in the last little while. Well. Actually, the last _long_ while. His human sleeping patterns of a six to eight hour stretch ended somewhere within his second month in this parallel. No wonder he was beat. On and off sleeping throughout the night, or napping, really wasn't doing him much good.

The Keurig hissed to tell him that the coffee was ready, and the Doctor padded quietly back inside the vault. He paused just inside the doorway and held the coffee to in front of his face as he looked upon the wonderful structure of the TARDIS. For all of the impending horror, he did have to admit that his beloved Rose Tyler had created the most beautiful of structures. Each artful curve and twist in the structure reminded him of her. Every bright amber limb and pulsing glow simply had to have been inspired by the very heart of Rose Tyler. She was perfection. He couldn't have done better himself.

He had a tired smile in place as he lifted the steaming cup of coffee to his mouth and drew back just enough to taste. Immediately he winced and motioned a gag at the acrid taste that kissed his tongue. "Oh. That is _disgusting_ ," he spluttered. He set the cup on a clear space on the console and continued to dramatically act out his disgust of coffee. "Why do these humans swill filth like this?"

"For the caffeine," Spencer moaned from his makeshift bed. He pointed at the Doctor's mug. "Now, if you aren't going to drink that, then gimme!"

The Doctor flicked a brow and walked the coffee over to Spencer. "There must be far more appetizing ways of getting caffeine into your system that by drinking that."

Spencer purred. "Nothing better than a coffee hit A.M."

"A Good cup of tea, made in the manner of the Tyler women, is a far more delightful method of blocking your adenosine receptors." He pursed his lips considering a good cup of tea a'la Rose Tyler.

"Blocking your _what_ now," Spencer asked mid-yawn as he rubbed his eyes.

"Adenosine," the Doctor began lightly. "Is the chemical released in the human brain that causes fatigue and drowsiness by slowing down nerve cell activity and dilating the blood vessels in the brain." He cleared his throat and continued somewhat autonomously as he walked back to the console. "To a nerve cell, caffeine resembles adenosine. Caffeine therefore binds to the adenosine receptors, which prevents..." He slowed in his lecture. His head tilted thoughtfully down to one side. "The caffeine doesn't slow cell activity as does the Adenosine." He blinked. "The cells can no longer sense the Adenosine." His eyes flared wide. "That's it!"

"That's what," Spencer moaned, still sleepy but slowly finding wakefulness.

"Oh yes," the Doctor hissed with thrill through gritted teeth as he quickly approached Spencer, cupped his face with both hands, and gave him a big kiss on the mouth. "You. Are. Brilliant. _Brilliant!"_

"Yeah," he spluttered as he wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand. "Brilliant, and not swinging that way. I mean, yeah, okay, you're pretty, but I prefer chicks."

The Doctor wore a slightly maniacal grin as he dismissed Spencer's comment with a wave of his hand. He strode to the console and grabbed excitedly at his hair as he walked. "How didn't I see this before? It's obvious!"

Spencer slouched against the strut and drew back deep on his coffee. "Fill me in, Doc."

"We need to counter the vortex power that's building inside of Rose." He looked to the lab tech with a toothy grin. "I just need to find the right kind of _caffeine_ to do it."

"Hang on, we need to do _what_ now? What's this about Rose?"

Nine's voice thundered in from the shadows. "You're dealing with something a little more excessive than a bout of tiredness here, Doctor."

The Doctor narrowed his eyes as the image of Nine strode into the light. "Oh, and here he comes to rain on my parade. If you've got nothing helpful to add then sod off you pessimistic bastard."

Spencer moaned. "Okay. If you two are going to go back at it, then I'm just going to wander off and take a piss." He walked backward toward the doorway and pointed at them both. "Play nice or I'm calling Rose." He turned around and spoke over his shoulder. "I'll let her kick both your asses."

The Doctor watched Spencer leave and returned his attention to the computer. "This'll work, TARDIS. It will." His eyes flicked up angrily, and after a slight pause he spoke again. "Did you even consider any other possibilities when you decided to put this little plan of yours into action?"

He shook his head. "I did what had to be done. I knew at some point you'd find out and would do whatever it took to try to save her."

"Of course I would." The Doctor's eyes went back to the monitor. "But tell me. What kind of being will deliberately put the life of someone else at risk to serve their own purpose?"

"It's not _my_ purpose," Nine argued. "It's to save Time itself." His lip curled. "And I wouldn't judge if I were you. You destroyed an entire planet for the very same reason."

The Doctor froze in place. His lip lifted slowly in anger. "I had no choice," he snarled. "The universe as a whole would have been destroyed if I didn't stop that war."

"And did you look in to any other option, Doctor," Nine countered snidely. "Or did you go with the first one that you came up with?"

The Doctor glared angrily at the monitor. "I looked at every available option before I took that one," he snarled. "I did what needed to be done."

"As am I."

The Doctor peered over the top of the monitor to Nine. Anger masked the pain of the reminder. "And for this crime I am going to have her taken from me again, and again, and again."

"This hurts me, too, Doctor," he offered softly. "I love her as much as you do."

"Then help me help her," he begged quietly. "Please."

Nine dropped his head and thumbed at his nose. "We're looking at total regeneration at a cellular level," he muttered. "The Vortex power, once reactivated, is unstoppable."

"I stopped it once," he barked. "With a kiss. I kissed her and drew away all of that power." He pressed the butt of his hand into his forehead. "If I could do that with a kiss, then I am sure we can find something else with a bit more potency." He blew out a breath and rolled his eyes with incredulity. "The kiss of a Time Lord. Who knew?"

"This isn't a fairy tale where a kiss of true love is going to save her this time around," Nine challenged. "All you managed to do was draw off most of the vortex energies. What remained within her simply went into dormancy to wait for the …" He cleared his throat. "Never mind."

The Doctor stared straight ahead. "Saying _never mind_ is a mauve flag, you know that, right?"

"Meaning?"

"Well. I might very well have ignored anything else that you had to say." He slid his eyes down to the monitor. "But the words _never mind_ do tend to get one's attention. Typically it means that you want to hide something. And I hate it when people try to hide things from me." He pressed his hands into the console. "Because when people start to hide things, bad things always follow."

"This present situation being the perfect example."

"You're catching on," the Doctor muttered. He drummed his fingers on the console. "So. Tell me. Dormancy in preparation for _what_? Because I know for a fact that Time and space really couldn't care less about whether or not there is another TARDIS floating about the universe." He moved his eyes to Nine. "Why is it so important that you come to life?"

"Be careful." Nine managed to sound slightly hurt. "You sound like you don't want me."

"Not if it means I sacrifice Rose."

"A Time Lord without a TARDIS," Nine growled. "It's practically blasphemous."

"Well," he slid out of the side of his mouth. "It's a good thing that I have that human part of me to blame it on, then, Isn't it?" His eyes moved up. "Not so close to blasphemy, now, is it?"

Nine leaned down over the console to analyze the Doctor's face a moment. What he saw made him twitch with shock. "You truly believe that, don't you?" He stood up straight. "Well. This is something unexpected."

The Doctor wasn't completely close to listening to Nine as he moved through more information from the computer analysis. "What's _that_?"

Nine was quietly shocked. "You truly believe that you're half Time Lord, half Human."

The Doctor punched at the single heart beating inside his chest. "One heart."

Nine slumped so dramatically that he almost resembled the apes that he often accused the humans of being. "And from _that_ , you came to the conclusion that you're _half_ human?" At Ten's nod, Nine rolled his eyes. "Do me a favour and humour me when I ask you to define the word _half_ for me."

" _What_?"

"You heard me," Nine snapped back. "What is half?"

The Doctor growled. He didn't have time for this crap. "Half. Noun. Either of two equal corresponding parts into which something can be divided." He sniffed. "Old English, half or healf, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch half and German halb. The earliest meaning of the Germanic base was _side_."

"Very clever, Doctor. Now, with that definition, explain how…" Nine didn't try to hide the disdain in his tone as he began to individually point out areas of the Doctor's body. "Time Lord brain. Time Lord eyes and cranial structure. Time Lord shoulders. Time Lord heart …" He pointed to the groin. "I would _hope_ Time Lord."

"Are you anywhere near the point that you're trying to make?"

Nine folded his arms across his chest, most smug. "You are 100% Time Lord, Doctor. Break it down to cellular level analysis and you will find that your cellular structure for every living part of you is Gallifreyan. I don't know how or why you continue to believe that you carry half of each species. Even _if_ your heart was human, it comes nowhere near close to half." He looked him up and down. "I credited you with being quite gifted with mathematics, but I see that…"

"Oh," The Doctor snapped. "Really? I'm being made fun of by a TARDIS? A TARDIS, mind you, who cant seem to tell the difference between 1979 and 1879." He pointed at him. "Just a singular example, although I can provide many, _many_ , more."

Nine bit at his amusement. "The point I make, Doctor. Is that you are a child of Gallifrey; born on the floor of a TARDIS. You are Time Lord. "

"One heart," he corrected blandly. "Or haven't you been listening?"

"A Time Lord heart," Nine corrected sharply. "No part of you is Human, except, perhaps for your apparent suffering of the Time Lord intelligence." He caught the furious stare of the Doctor. "All Time Lords are born with one heart, you git. The second one comes with your first regeneration." He sighed a long suffering breath. "Rassilon, I thought you were smarter than that."

The Doctor's eyes widened in realization.

Nine continued. "For you to be half human, but with Time Lord consciousness, is impossible. Your mind would burn and kill you within 24 Earth hours." He moved closer to the Doctor, who was slowly coming into horrific realization. "There has never been a Time Lord/Human biological meta crisis, because it is non sustainable. The human mind is too weak."

The Doctor looked panicked. "Donna!" He pressed his hands into the console as though to hold himself upright. "What about _her_? Tell me that he was able to save her!"

"Would you have?"

"Of course I would have." The Doctor pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes and grit his teeth in momentary thought. "I could suppress the consciousness, erase her mind. That should prevent a complete burn, provided she is given no reminder of who we were together."

"Then assume that your brother did the same."

"I'm sure he did. She's our best friend, he would have done anything to protect her." The Doctor dropped his head into his hands as he pressed his elbows into the console. "So I _am_ Time Lord, then? I assume with a total reboot and twelve full regenerations at my disposal."

"You've assumed correctly."

He didn't shift. "So no matter what, I'm destined to lose her. If not to this, then when her _forever_ is over." He looked up with moist eyes. "I thought I finally had the chance to take _that_ journey. Marriage. Kids. To grow old with someone." He sighed. "Nope."

Nine was silent for a moment, not knowing how to react or to respond to the Doctor's new heartbreak. His pain was palpable. Nine could almost taste its bitter flavor.

"How do I tell her," the doctor admitted softly.

Nine stood quiet as new ideas began to storm inside his mind. He ran scenarios and what-ifs, tested timelines and alternate realities. Finally, he snapped out of his trance. "There is _one_ possibility, Doctor. It's a slim chance, but it does exist as an alternate option." He rubbed at his chin and then flicked his hand at the monitor. "I've done some calculations, and run some simulations. We are looking at a 10% chance that it could work and you can save her."

"10% is pretty short. But. It's better than zero." The Doctor pulled the monitor toward him with far too much eagerness. "Show me." His eyes widened as he watched the data scroll through, circular Gallifreyan symbols twisting and turning through calculations. The Doctor's expression phased through several different emotions as it all played out before him.

"The viability of this scenario depends solely on the timing of it. Tricky," he said with a whistle. "Better hope the timing isn't off, or it could be devastating."

"You'll know when it's time, Doctor," Nine offered with encouragement. "Time is the Lord's game, is it not? I think that it's worth further investigation."

The Doctor bit his lip for a moment. He truly seemed to consider the option. Then, as quickly as the excitement had appeared, it fell again. He set his hands on the console and dropped his head between the void between his arms. "But it would be a life sentence," he finally muttered. "I don't know if I could put her through that." He rolled his eyes and looked somewhat discomforted. "Given my track record and all. How many have there been now?" He started to count off his fingers.

"Would you rather that you gave up completely and let the Vortex kill her?"

The Doctor shot him a glare. He pointed harshly toward him. "I've got a plan, okay? I will stick with my original design and try to find something, _anything_ , to block the Vortex from destroying every cell in her body."

Nine used both hands to point at the data still rolling on the screen.

The Doctor rolled his eyes upward. "Yes. I see it. I know. It's tempting. By Rassilon it's tempting." He coughed into his fist. "But that's going to condemn her…"

"Don't be so dramatic," Nine snapped. "You've got me almost believing that you're human with that kind of garbage. I will let you work on your own theories, and I will look at this and see if there are other scenarios worth investigating."

The Doctor flicked a high brow. "After all of your doom and gloom warnings about tampering with time lines, you're actually willing to look at ways of doing just that."

Nine grinned widely. "Fixed points must remain in place, but with the pathways to those fixed points being in a constant state of flux, we can play about with getting there any way we desire. Doctor, you specialize in doing just that."

He grinned widely. "Yep. It's a skill for sure." The smile dropped, however and he pointed to the monitor. "Last resort, you hear me?"

Nine shrugged. "I maintain that it’s a viable option." He held up his hands at a sudden piercing glare from The Doctor. "But if you want it shelved for the time being until you can find a power source strong enough to hold back the entire Time Vortex, but at the same time permeable enough allow its release so that we don't bring about the destruction of the universe, then fine." He tipped his shoulder upward to feign nonchalance at the suggestion. "Not a problem."

"You don't believe that I can do it, do you?"

"Not in the slightest."

"Oh ye of little faith," The Doctor groaned long. "I've pulled off bigger miracles than this in less time." His eyes suddenly flashed wide and with a tooth-grinned giggle he let his fingers fly over the keyboard. As the computer worked the simulation, The Doctor proudly flicked the screen to allow Nine to see it. "A power source strong enough to challenge the Time Vortex. Easy peasy lemon squeezy."

Nine leaned across to take a look. He thoughtfully rubbed at his chin as he analyzed the results. "Well. _That_ was something I didn't even think to consider," he muttered. "It would be ideal if you could find a method that could double that wavelength and expand the power. Again, timing is quite critical."

"Yes," The Doctor muttered with a tight expression. "And, of course, execution. It's not going to be in any way an easy accomplishment." He blew a breath. "It would be a damn miracle if I could pull this off."

"I'll call the Vatican," Nine intoned blandly. He then clapped his hands. "Now that we're done chin waggin, let's actually get to work."


	15. Strawberry/Banana Yogurt and a Red Velvet Box

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to talk TARDIS with Rose. The Doctor has something very important that he needs to speak with Rose about.

Rose had awoken at around 9:00am to find a hastily scrawled note on her pillow from The Doctor letting her know he was at Torchwood and would probably be there most for of the day. As any true-blooded woman would do when presented with such a delightful opportunity of a day to herself, Rose had immediately taken off to get in some shopping. She had fully expected to return home by mid-afternoon with enough time to clean up the house, vacuum, and prepare dinner before The Doctor was to return.

She certainly did not expect to walk through the front door of their home to have every light in the lower floor switched on, the television on with volume on full, the radio in the kitchen blaring with the latest on the pop charts, and The Doctor fast asleep on the couch in the most adorable and undignified positions she’d ever witnessed. His glasses teetered off the end of his nose to hang lopsided over one cheek. He had one arm up behind his head, the other dangled off the couch still loosely clutching at a note book. One pinstriped leg was up and hooked over the back of the couch, the other hooked around a cushion on the seat. On his chest was an open hard-cover engineering text book, pages down. And his mouth, those glorious thin lips of his, were open just enough to release the smallest of snores with every inhale he drew.

She immediately dropped her shopping bags on the floor beside an arm chair and deftly reached for her cellphone. There were far few moments when she could actually catch The Doctor unaware and in a vulnerable moment such as this and there was no way on this Earth that she wasn’t going to take advantage of it. She held her breath in order to catch that perfect candid shot that would now become the wallpaper for every computer, tablet, smart phone, and laptop she owned.

The Doctor jerked to startled wakefulness as her iPhone loudly sounded off a lens shutter click to indicate that the photo had been taken. His precarious balancing act slipped and he fell into an unbecoming heap on the floor, narrowly missing the coffee table in front of him.

"What in Rassilon?"

Rose chuckled to watch him clumsily realign his glasses and frantically try to figure out where exactly he was. "Here comes a threat in three, two…"

"You dare wake the Oncoming Storm," he challenged with faux darkness. "Galaxies have suffered great pains for far less."

"You dare threaten the Bad Wolf, when I have such delicious blackmail?" she fired back. She showed him the face of her phone, which displayed the image of him asleep on the couch. “If only the invading alien hoardes knew that their mighty feared Time Lord sleeps with a teddy bear."

He swiped at the phone to try and confiscate it. "There's no teddy bear cuddling happening in that photograph."

"Ahh," she sang as she snatched the phone out of reach. "That's where Photoshop comes in."

He slumped in mock defeat in a slouch in front of the couch. "It appears, then, that I am at your mercy," he said within a deep yawn as he stretched his arms high above his head. "So. What time is it?"

"Bout two P.M.," Rose answered as she picked up the shopping bags and headed to the kitchen. "Need some lunch?"

The Doctor hauled himself to his feet and rubbed at his protesting lower back as he followed her into the kitchen. "Yogurt will be fine, thanks."

Rose tossed him a small container of Strawberry/Banana Yogurt from the fridge and slid a spoon across the counter. She was lightly distracted as she put away her groceries. "Did you get everything finished at Torchwood?"

He hummed in the affirmative as he pulled the lid off the yogurt and licked at it. "Mostly."

"Can I ask what you're working on?" She smiled a grin over the door of the fridge. "Knowing what they slide into your section of the building, it has to be pretty cool."

"Pretty cool and swiftly deactivated once in my hands." He lifted his head back in a pleasurable moan. "Oh. Strawberry and banana combination. _Brilliant_." He shoved another heaping spoonful into his mouth and grinned. "Have I told you lately how much I love this stuff?"

" _Doctor_ ," she warned.

"Oh," he spluttered. "Yes. You asked me a question." He scraped the spoon along the bottom of the container, looking somewhat lost that he was at the bottom of it after only a few spoons.

Rose quickly threw him another one.

He snatched it from the air with a toothy grin of triumph. He then gave her a wink. "What am I working on? Now that, Rose Tyler, is a very good question."

She stood hovering over the open door of the fridge as The Doctor went through the motions of opening up a new yogurt container, and waited for him to expand on that. At his distraction she frowned and stepped around the door to close it behind her. She leaned across the counter from him with her elbows on the table and her chin nestled atop her steepled fingers. “I guess it must be considering you’re trying every trick in the book not to answer it.”

He caught her curious and urging stare and raised a brow to her as he pulled the spoon from his mouth. He spoke over the mouthful before he swallowed. "You know. I had a very interesting discussion today."

"Evasive," Rose sang with a high brow to match his. "That means it's juicy stuff. Who's got you all tight lipped, then?"

"You, actually," he answered as he finished his second yogurt and then leaned down on the counter in a mirror of her position. "I'm not sure just how much you really want me to know about something that I'm not really supposed to know anything about." He paused to take a breath. "But, then again, you did invite a Time Lord into your mind with full knowledge that there isn't going to be much that you _can_ hide." He tapped the bottom of the spoon lightly on the tip of her nose. “I did warn you about that before I initiated that connection.”

“I know you did.” Rose took the spoon from his fingers and gave him a playful wink as she popped it into her mouth and strode across to the dishwasher. “Tell me. Was it as mindblowing for you as it was for me?”

“Pardon the pun,” he muttered around a cough as she pulled the spoon from her mouth with a pop and dropped it into the machine. He waited a moment for her eyes to meet his before he wanted to answer the question. He dropped his chin into his hand and smiled a goofy smile at her. “It was _brilliant_ , Rose. Just _brilliant._ ”

“It was something else, that’s for sure,” she breathed coyly with a wave of her hand in front of her face as though to cool herself down. “The feels, Doctor, the feels!”

“The truths being laid out in front of me,” he added as he dropped his eyes to watch as he drew his finger through a droplet of water on the counter. “No more secrets…” He raised his eyes to hers. “Truths exposed.”

"And with that, you’re telling me in a roundabout kind of way that you found the TARDIS," she said coolly, as though it was nothing out of the ordinary. "Which also explains what you were doing at Torchwood all day.”

“Mmhmm,” he hummed in response. “Might do.”

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Okay. So? What do you think of her?" She grinned proudly. “Isn’t she beautiful?”

He looked surprised, but didn't move from his lean on the counter. "By your response I am going to assume that you intended for me to find her." He grinned. "Yes. She's very lovely." His grin turned to a frown. “Not too sure about the interface, though.”

Rose ignored the comment on the interface and leapt straight to her true concern. "Are you mad?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Quite positive, actually," he answered with a shrug as he pulled himself up to his full height and leaned his hip against the counter. "However, that isn't to say that I am not concerned. Shocked. Confused. Hurt. _Concerned_."

"You've already said that," she offered meekly.

"Such an important emotion that it must be expressed twice" he said on a breeze. He cleared his throat and folded his arms across his chest. "I want to ask you, however, with all the calm I am capable of…"

" _Here_ we go."

He raised a hand of pause. "Just tell me why?" At her frown of confusion he continued. "Why did you want to grow a new TARDIS? And why alone? Why not let me take part in it?"

Her shifted her eyes from him and dropped her ear to her shoulder. "Well."

There was an extension to the end of a single word answer. He knew what that meant.

The Doctor sighed in disappointment. "Obviously you don't want to answer that right now. But when you're ready to answer, I'll be upstairs." He sniffed at himself, and winced at the aroma of sweat, coffee, musk and something else organic that he was fully prepared to blame on the TARDIS. "Taking a shower."

She took his hand quickly from across the counter. "For you," she muttered with a sniff and a forced voice. "I did it for _you_. I wanted it to be a surprise, that’s all."

He pressed his lips tightly together in a pained smile and cupped her cheek with his hand. "Promise me that," he whispered softly.

She clutched at the hand he held to her face. "Why else would I do it?"

He dragged his thumb across her lip. "To travel all of time and space, across the universe. Across parallels. To escape all _this_." He stepped back with a sad smile and looked upstairs with a clearing of his throat. "Anyway. I'll just be getting upstairs then."

Rose's eyes were locked in a frown as The Doctor left the room to go upstairs. Horribly confused as to what he was alluding to, she let out several hard breaths as she analysed the conversation that had taken place. Yes, she could understand that he would be slightly miffed to severely pissed off that she had gone behind his back to grow the TARDIS – understandably so. Truth be told, she was slightly freaked out over the power that she was playing with. Time Lord Technology and the massive Time Vortex power generation was somewhat out of her _pay grade_ , and were far better left to a man who was an ex-Time Lord.

But her first Doctor guided her well and assured her that nothing could go wrong, that they were perfectly safe. The both of them – TARDIS and Rose – were under the protection of the Time Lords of Gallifrey, so what could possibly go wrong?

Her eyes widened suddenly. Oh yes. _Time Lords_.

Her palm met with her forehead as she expelled a breath of annoyance. "Oh damn it damn it damn it," she cursed to herself. "Of _course_ you'd think _that_." She glared up the stairs. "And, don't you dare."

~~oooOOOooo~~

With his hands braced on the wall of the shower and his head dropped inside the shower stream, the Doctor let this mind wander back to his conversation with his ninth self and to the revelations exposed to him hours before.

Fully Time Lord.

Part of him wanted to act at least a little surprised, but he wasn't really an idiot. He'd had inklings of such over the past few months. A little too much insight into time lines. Lack of human sleep patterns. Bruises received and then healed within hours. The lower than usual body temperature and respiration rate. The absolute longing need to express Time Lord/Gallifreyan emotions to his pink and yellow human girl over the human ones he was supposed to feel.

Seeing the TARDIS certainly didn't quell any of the Time Lord desires within him. Oh no. It only heightened them more. There was an instant connection between man and ship. It felt like they had been as one for all of Time. But taking back his TARDIS meant giving up the one thing that he couldn't possibly even begin to imagine giving up.

A long unused Gallifreyan curse in passed through his lips. _._

How that woman could possibly end up on his mind as so many separate and terrifying questions on such an ongoing and consistent basis, he couldn't explain. Since the day he’d grabbed her hand and pulled her into his life, she'd been able to off-balance the mighty genius Time Lord. She was, quite simply, the question that could not be answered…

…At least not in a single human lifespan.

…Which is all the time he had.

He held back from thumping the wall in frustration at his current quandary, and of how he could possibly try to manage to solve at least one issue out of the five running through his head. First things first, a conversation with Rose was needed.

There must've been some deity listening to his thoughts because at that very moment, as though by some divine intervention, the shower curtain screeched open, and a rather livid looking Rose Tyler stood on the other side.

The Doctor practically jumped a foot in shock. "By Rassilon, Rose!" He thumped at his chest as though indicating that his heart had stopped. "Scare a man into regeneration."

She launched straight into it. "Just who do you think you are getting all jealous and insecure?"

He blew beads of water off his lip and desperately tried to forget that he was currently wet, naked, and cornered in a shower stall with no escape. "I'm being _what_?"

" _Promise me, Rose_ ," she whined out in almost perfect imitation of The Doctor. " _Promise me that you aren't making a TARDIS so you can run between parallels and go find_ him." She let out a single breath of a laugh and pointed a finger into his chest. "Says _you_ , Spaceman, with your chasing after French aristocrats and flirting with miss pigtails with a _y_ …"

"There's no Y in pigtails, Rose." He yelped as her hand met with his bare and wet arm. "Hey! Now what's got you all up in arms?"

She tried her very best. She did. She tried hard to maintain a level amount of frustrated anger at him. But with him standing naked and vulnerable under a heavy shower stream, with his amazing gravity defying hair all soggy and flat down over his brow and an utterly confused look on his face, she couldn’t? He looked like a drowning little puppy dog that she wanted to bring out of the rain. She made do with a bite at her smile and a slouch in her hip to the side as she folded her arms across her chest.

"I told you, nearly twelve months ago, that if I had to make the choice of who I wanted to be with out of _him_ and you, it was _you_."

"Yes. I vividly recall that conversation." He was tempted to turn the water off so that he could at least see her in front of him without water being sprayed into his eyes, but the threat of freezing to death for however long she intended this conversation to go for made him keep that hot water flowing. "And it's relevant to right now _because_?"

"Because you're accusing me of growing the TARDIS so that I can go find him again."

He did _what_ now?

The Doctor's face lengthened in very shocked surprise. "No, I didn't."

"Yes you did."

He shook his head quickly. His eyes were wide and his brows kitted firmly together. "No I didn't. I didn't even entertain that notion. I didn't even think of that to be honest. But thank you very much for planting _that_ seed of doubt in my mind." He slumped. "Add another bulleted point to the list of things I'm currently worried about with my Rose Tyler and a TARDIS."

"You have a _list_?" she asked timidly.

“I always have lists. I like lists. They keep my thoughts organized.”

“Oh.”

He sighed and put a wet hand on her shoulder. "Rose. I'm currently naked and wet in front of you. Naked _and_ wet _._ As you don't appear to have any desire within you to do what it is that you normally do when you bust in on me while I am taking a shower." He paused and waggled his brows just to see if she might go for it. She didn't so he sighed. "Let me finish up and then you and I can have a chitchat about a couple of things."

She looked particularly terrified by the prospect. "You want to _talk_?"

"It's the usual method of communication on this planet, am I right?"

She nodded quickly. "Uhm. Yeah. Sure. I'll just go downstairs and wait for you to finish up."

He pressed a wet kiss to her forehead, and then pulled her tight against him. “ _Or-r-r_ ” He waggled his brow in invitation as he danced his hips to teasingly brush his hardening self against her. His voice dropped an octave and husked out of his throat. "Or we could finish up together?"

She shook her head and wriggled out of his hold to back off. "I'll meet you downstairs."

He shrugged and closed the shower curtain. “Suit yourself, Rose. Just know, though, that I’m all primed and ready for take off in here.”

Rose rolled her eyes to the ceiling as he wrapped the semi-transparent shower curtain around his hips to show her his _Sky Rocket_ and began to sing Starland’s _Afternoon Delight._

“Don’t be too long, Doctor.” She pointed to the doorway, knowing full well by the sizzling stare he gave her through the curtain that he could see her. “I’ll see you downstairs.”

~~oooOOOooo~~

Rose paced nervously in their living room. She bit at her thumbnail and repeatedly looked to the stairs in wait for her Doctor to finally emerge from the bathroom. She didn't know _exactly_ what he wanted to talk to her about – probably the TARDIS if anything – but _a talk_ never meant anything good, and she felt a pit form in her stomach.

The pit deepened when she finally heard him descend the stairs. She gasped to take in his image. Gone was the pinstripe suit, Oxford and tie. Hello to a pair of relaxed fit jeans, crew neck shirt and an open button-up shirt. Even his hair was different. Still thick and scruffy, but not quite defying gravity as it normally would be.

Her hand immediately flew to cover her mouth in surprise.

He immediately paused at the bottom of the stairs when he saw her expression. The look in her eyes matched the look she gave him moments after he'd regenerated into this form, right before she accused him of being Slitheen and asked him to change back. He immediately looked down at himself.

"You don't like it?" He thumbed upstairs. "This time I can actually change if you like." He frowned. "I mean the suits – all of them – need dry cleaning, which is why I took the casual look, but ..."

"It's fine," she said quickly.

"Yeah?"

She gave him a 100 kilowatt smile. "It kind of suits you, actually." She looked toward the couch in invitation for him to join her in the living room. "I'm glad to see that you're actually wearing the clothes that I bought you, oh, almost 12 months ago." She slid up to him and scruffed at his hair. "Different. I like it."

He grinned as he took her hand in his and led her into the living room. "I like that you like it." He sat her down on the couch and took a seat, himself, on the armchair directly across from it. He frowned to watch her immediately shrink and begin gnawing on her nail in a manner he knew meant that she was worried about something. "Are you okay, Rose?"

She nodded quickly, but didn't remove her thumbnail from her mouth.

"Rose?"

She blinked quickly, almost having worried herself to tears. "You wanted to _talk_?"

"Oh yes," he said with urgency. "I do." He thought for a moment for a good starting point. He frowned and looked to the ground as he thought of where to start. Finally he seemed to collect himself and looked up at her. He shifted his body to one side to pull a small box from his pocket and rolled it between the palms of his hands as he settled back into his seat.

He didn't catch the sudden hitch in Rose's breath.

"I mentioned to you earlier today that I had a very interesting discussion." He looked up to her to capture her eyes with his. "And part of that discussion led to a revelation that will directly impact you and me and our future together."

She licked at her lip, not quite knowing where this was going, but for sure hoping that it was leading to him giving her whatever was in that box. "I'm listening."

He heard the stagger in her voice and kept nervously rolling that little red velvet box in between his palms. He looked away from her and cast his gaze downward. "I'm not human," he rushed out quickly.

"I know," she said softly. "You told me that the day we met."

His eyes shot upward. His gaze was apologetic. "When I told you that I was half human. Well. It turns out that I was wrong." He leaned forward quickly. "I didn't lie to you. I honestly believed it," he assured. "When the Meta Crisis happened, and I woke with only one heart, _well_ , what else could I think?" His eyes were wide as he took them from hers.

"B- But you've only got one heart," she managed, sounding like she was talking around marbles. "To be Time Lord, you have two, yeah?"

He nodded. "All Time Lords are born with one heart. The second one comes after the first regeneration."

"Oh," she breathed with a heavy purse of her lips. "And you just _forgot_ about that little fact?"

"It's been over 900 years, Rose," he defended. He leaned back in the chair and slouched as he tapped the little red box on his knee. "I don't know. I guess I just wanted to believe it so badly. I wanted to have that chance to take that slow road journey with you so much that it escaped me completely."

"Because that's what you want?"

He nodded. "To not watch you wither and die and then have to carry on without you? Yeah. Absolutely yes." He looked annoyed. "I knew that my brother was going to leave the two of us together…"

"So you're going with _brother,_ then?"

He nodded. "I'm not calling him _Dad_." He caught her smile. "Anyway, so knowing that I would have the opportunity to be left with Rose Tyler, I let myself believe that, yes, I was human."

She exhaled a long breath. "If you knew you were fully Time Lord, then chances are he would have insisted that you both travel together."

He nodded. "The three of us together, imagine." He shook his head. "I'd have killed him by now enough times that he'd be out of regenerations," he reflected with a smile. " _Well._ If I did that then at least I’d have a fully functioning T40 TARDIS to call my own." He grinned. “Matching TARDISes, Rose. Imagine that! Oh, that’d be brilliant, wouldn’t it?”

That, and his manic grin made her chuckle into her hand. In a moment she sobered herself fup. "Okay. So you're a full Time Lord of Gallifrey." She tipped her head lightly to one side. "And you think that might cause a problem with you and me?"

He nodded.

"Well it hasn't before," she said bluntly. "I fell in love with a fully Time Lord alien man and I will continue to be in love with him, even if he decides to tell me his next incarnation will make him a green-skin alien with two heads."

He grinned his trademark smile of thrill. "That," he breathed. "Is good to know, because regenerations, they can be a lottery."

She snorted. "Tell you what. I'll keep killing you until I get a regeneration that I like the look of."

"I'm very thrilled that you can find humour in it," he smirked. Then his expression turned serious. "Which brings me to _this."_ He held up the box between his fingers. "I've got an important question for you…" He paused at the sudden bounce she got in her chair and the tiniest of squeals she made.

It actually made his single heart flutter a little.

"Anyway," he managed through his smile. "Before I can ask this question, I need you to understand just _how_ important it is that you really, really, really take the time to think about your answer."

She was close to exploding. Curse him and his long winded way of doing things. "Are you proposing," she spluttered finally. "Because I don't need to think about that. I already know my answer."

He looked down with a light laugh. "Oh my Rose Tyler." He looked back up and rested his elbows on his knees in a slouch. That box remained toyed between his hands. "Yes. I am proposing." His expression lifted to stop her from leaping out of her chair and onto him. "But."

"How can there be a _but_ in a proposal," she gasped. "There're no _buts_ in a marriage proposal."

"But," he continued with a smile. "Marriage between Time Lords, and I mean a real one that isn't politically motivated, one of real love and devotion between two people, means something very different than it does here on Earth." He moved to kneel into the space between her knees and set the box on her thigh. "It means that you take me forever. For the rest of your life. Forever. Once we take that step there is no backing away. No divorce. No separating. We are as one, literally, until death do us part."

There was a tear in her eye. "But that's what marriage should be, Doctor."

He nodded and rubbed at her knee. "And on Earth you humans seem to have forgotten that. Marriage on Earth is just a legal union these days. In the chapel one day, annulling it the next and moving on to your next spouse." He tilted his head to one side to regard her softly. "With me, Rose, it'll be forever."

"Which is what I've always promised you," she vowed softly. "That's why I'm Bad Wolf, and why the words are spread through time and space. So that the entire universe knows that you and me, we're forever, and no matter what they do to try and separate us – We'll always find our way to each other." She slid off the couch onto his knee and looped her arms around his neck. "So, yes, Doctor. I will be your forever."

"I'll never age," he warned softly.

"Promise that you'll stay in love me when I do."

“It’s my oath to you.”

“We’re back to where we started then,” she whispered. “Time Lord and human.”

“We are,” he admitted. “Only this time I’m not going to pull away and hold myself back from you.”

“Promise me that, Doctor.” She captured his mouth softly with hers.

“Marry me.”

“Yes,” she vowed against his mouth.

He let her roll her mouth languidly against his a moment, reveling in the taste of her. Finally he broke their connection and grinned a toothy grin as he opened the box and showed her the ring he'd crafted just for her. "Wear my ring as a promise to me that when the time is just right, that you and I take our vow and bond as one."

As he slid the ring onto her finger, Rose had to gasp. "Doctor. It's beautiful!" Her eyes shot to his. "Where on Earth did you find something so exquisite?"

He appraised his work and its look upon her finger and then pressed his lips into her knuckles. "In 1842 I was in Bolshaia Morskaia and met this lovely gentleman named Gustav Faberge…"

 


	16. Murphy's Law

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose gave him a simple task. Just one. One. All the Doctor had to do was take a short trip to the store to pick up a couple of things. How did he end up in this mess...?

Run to the store, grab some toilet paper and milk, run back home.

That's all he had to do. That was his assignment for the evening. Run to the store and pick up a couple of things that Rose had forgotten to pick up when she was out earlier and then hightail it back home. Ten minutes Tops.

Ten minutes.

Rose should really, never, have offered a specific time frame for him to follow, because unfailingly, whatever number was applied to said specific time frame, Murphy's Law would always step in and make sure that something – and typically the worst thing possible – was going to go wrong and make him very _very_ late.

He gave an annoyed huff as he pressed his fist into his temple, leaned his elbow against the wall, and analysed the trim of his nails on his other hand. "You know," he muttered with a smile of remembrance. "I met Captain Murphy once. 1949. Edwards Air Force Base. Nice fellow. Nowhere near as pessimistic as one would believe he was."

A young woman beside him snarled quietly. "Will you shut up?"

"Well _that's_ a little rude," he replied with a frown.

A young man wearing Doc Martens with rolled up jeans and sporting a Mohawk and a ring through his nose – welcome back 1980's punk – leered toward him. "In case you haven't noticed it, mate. We aren't in the store anymore. We've all been _beamed up Scotty_ into an alien space ship."

The Doctor grinned widely. "Oh. A Star Trek reference. _Brilliant_. Rose has me watching that." His smile fell into seriousness. "You do realize that the travels of the Enterprise are mere fiction, don't you? Nothing is even vaguely historically accurate, Well. Nnot even accurate in future timelines for that matter." He put his hands into his jeans pocket, and shifted to lean his back against the wall. "Their portrayal of some of the civilizations I've had dealings with can actually be quite insulting at times. I met a Vulcan or two in my travels." His grin was almost maniacal. "And _let me tell you_ , there's nothing _rigid_ and _logical_ about that species." He laughed. "No siree."

The young man curled a pierced lip. "Will you shut up? They'll hear us and we'll be discovered."

The Doctor's brow lifted and he peeled off the wall to walk around the group of hostages that had been transmatted up from the supermarket. "Well. If we were a covert unit utilizing stealth for attack, then yes. Silence would be our wingman. However," He scratched at his head, and then poked his finger into a door. "As we were snatched from our nightly errands and beamed aboard this ship," he turned back to the group. "I'll let you know which one in rather short time." He turned back to the door. "Then what's the point? They know we're here." He spun back around. "They even sent a transmat beam to come pick us up."

A store associate, only a young teenager, hugged herself tightly. "I'm scared," she whimpered.

"Oh," The Doctor practically sang as he breezed across the floor toward her, his hands in his jeans pockets. "There's no need to be afraid. At least not yet, anyway." He put an arm across her shoulder and leaned down to speak into her ear. "Do you want to know how I know that?"

She nodded and sniffed back her tears. "Yes."

He maintained his lean and pointed up to some graffiti on the wall. "Do you know what that says?"

The punk fellow grunted. "I don't know, I don't speak alien."

The Doctor straightened up, but kept his arm supportively braced across the young woman's shoulder. "Well. Lucky for you I do," he chirped as he tapped a finger to his head. "Five Billion languages up here."

"You're full of shit," the punk growled.

The Doctor looked somewhat perplexed at the image that the insult set in his mind. "Well. That is quite the mental image." He looked down at the young lady under his arm. "As I was saying. The writing on the wall says _Bod Ameki."_

"But how do you know," she asked quietly. "It's all lines and triangles."

"All languages look like lines and squiggles and circles when you don't know what it means," he offered. "But if you look at it, and I mean really take time to try and see the subtle differences in each line and shape that makes them all so unique, letters and words appear." He could feel the youngster begin to relax. "Now. I know that language, I've seen it before. It's used in the high courts of the Theonope citadel in the Iudronoe nebula." He grinned cheekily. "I won't say just _how_ I know it's from the high court, but I will say that the tale involves me, a beautiful Blonde girl named Rose, and our ignorance to the fact that it can be illegal in some worlds to…"

"Are you about done Mr. SciFi Network," the punk snapped. "This isn't the time for bedtime stories."

"I'm nowhere near close to done," The Doctor muttered. "And do you mind? This young lady is rather terrified and I'd like to be able to ease her mind without you playing the part of boogie man to make it worse."

The Punk stepped forward with a sneer as he rubbed his knuckles together. "You wanna go, then, mate?"

The Doctor's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Really? We're in an alien ship potentially about to fight for our lives and you want to fight _me_? You have to love the human race."

"So what does it mean," the girl asked nervously, hoping that she could distract the coming fight between two men.

The Doctor leaned down to her again, his jaw against her temple. "It means _Bad Wolf."_ His voice softened. "And do you want to know why those words are so important?"

She nodded.

"Because it means that the Wolf is coming to save us." His arm tightened across her shoulder as if to hug her. His grin was wide and teeth were tight together. "My Wolf. My beautiful Wolf. I love the Wolf." He looked down into the girl's eyes. "I'm going to marry the Wolf."

"Is she pretty?"

"Beautiful," he breathed wistfully. "And very dangerous when you corner someone she cares about." He grinned darkly. "And. Well. Looks like our hosts picked the wrong party goer for their little shindig, because I'm one of the ones she cares the most about." He blew out a breath. "And we had such lovely plans for this evening, just me and Rose. But. Oh well, this kind of fun is good evening out for us too. Makes sense for her and I to spend the night of our engagement fighting aliens. After all…"

"Will you _please_ shut up," the woman hollered at him.

"…It's how we met," he finished quietly. He pursed his lips a moment. He thrust his hands into his pockets and raised his shoulders as he walked to lower his head into the dip between his shoulders. "Quite right," he muttered.

The young shop assistant tightened the hold of her hug into herself and raised her eyes to give The Doctor a look of pure innocence. "So you know where we are?"

" _Well_. That much is pretty obvious. We're on an Alien ship." He walked with his hands in his pockets, suddenly missing the swish of his long coat behind him. "It appears to be a class 2 V-35 Theonope Presidential Scout vessel." He looked back at the small group. "These things get sent out when the Presidential office is looking for _something_ of interest. Not really an attack vessel, but that isn't to say it isn't fully armed and prepared to defend themselves if necessary." He swallowed roughly. "And, compared to defense technology on this planet, they are more than well enough equipped to wipe out a country or two if Torchwood decide to shoot first, ask questions later."

"So they come in peace," the young associate asked hopefully.

"Oh. I wouldn't say they're here to make friends and sign treaties," he assured with a shrug. "But they aren't typically the type to get all rowdy and create trouble." His eyes widened. "Oh. Unless." He coughed into his hand. "Yeah. If _she_ is heading up this expedition, this might get interesting."

The woman caught that. "Who might that be?"

"Oh," he said quickly with wide eyes. "Nothing. Noone. Not worth you worrying your pretty head over." He started to pace. "She'd have to be, well, in her 500th year by now. It's been 300 years, so surely she's over it."

The punk chuckled. "You don't know women real well, do ya, Mate. They hold onto grudges for eternity."

The Doctor moaned with a definite slump. "I really didn't need that reminder. Rose is not going to be happy."

"And hang on. Three hundred years," he asked with unhidden incredulity. "You're three hundred years old?"

"Closer to Nine hundred and four, give or take," he answered distractedly. He turned when he heard the collective hitching of breaths behind him. "What? I'm still only a teenager on my home planet."

"You're an _alien_ ," the woman snarled at him.

The Doctor rolled his yes. "Once upon a time that didn't sound like such a derogatory term. But. Yes. I am an _alien_ , if you wish to assign labels."

The teenager shuddered and held herself tighter. "I thought aliens were all green men with big eyes and no mouth. You. You look human."

"Oh no," he grinned with a coy lean toward her. "You look Time Lord."

"Is that what you are?"

He stood in front of the young girl and took her hands in his. His voice was soft and friendly. "I am The Doctor. I'm a Time Lord. I'm from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I've been a protector of Earth for over seven centuries now." He smiled warmly and pulled the timid girl into a hug. He spoke honestly against her hair. "Please don't be scared, because tonight I'm going to be protecting you. Nothing will happen to you when I'm here. I promise."

"I'll hold you to that," she whimpered against his chest. "Nice to meet you, Doctor. I'm Jane."

"I wouldn't go about making promises you can't keep," the punk snarled. "If they're here and snatching humans then they're obviously looking to get more than a bit rowdy."

"Well," The Doctor snapped. "Aren't you just a bright little ray of pierced sunshine? Not everything is about a full on invasion. If the Theonopes are on Earth, then they're looking for something specific. We all just happened to get in the way of whatever they were looking for. I'm not particularly concerned."

The woman growled accusingly. "Would that something be _you_ , Doctor?"

The Doctor's voice went very quiet. Almost a whisper. "Rassilon, I hope not."

The door behind him hissed open and all occupants of the room shielded their eyes against the sudden light from the hallway. The Doctor immediately stepped ahead of the small group to face the trio of guards that stood in the doorway.

"What do you want with us," he asked flatly.

The light seemed to fade behind the guards. The one in the centre of the trio stepped forward and made a show of sniffing the air deeply in disgust. "I smell Time Lord," he snarled. "Gallifreyan filth on board my vessel."

The Doctor looked slightly hurt as he smelled himself. "Oi. I took a shower this afternoon. I'll have you know that I smell of sandalwood and vanilla, with a hint of Rose Tyler." He looked the guard up and down. "And if we want to start on who smells, you might want to go and spritz yourself up a bit." He held his nose. "You smell like you bathed in the swamps of Atrorix, and then dried off with the leaves of the Lychvoria."

"You _dare_ to insult your captor, Doctor?" He pointed his hand dramatically at the three cowering humans and curled that hand into a fist. "I can crush each of them for your insolence."

"Well, yeah. You _could_ ," he answered with a shrug. "I mean, humans, they're easily _crushable."_

"Then crush them, I shall," he boomed with a victorious laugh.

He shook his head at the guard. "Okay. Enough of that. Asteon, old friend. What brings you to my parallel?"

Asteon set his hands on his hips and smirked. "Doctor. It has been a long while."

"A very long while," The Doctor intoned soflty. "Almost three hundred years."

"Three hundred and two to be exact, Doctor," Asteon corrected. "I brought you here to ask for your help." He tipped his head in tease. "And I believe that a favour is owed to me after the incident on…"

"Yes, yes," The Doctor interrupted quickly with an uncomfortable clearing of his throat. "No need to rehash old exploits of my younger regenerations. Favour owed, and I will gladly assist."

"Speaking of regenerations," Asteon said with a chuckle. "This one is very…" He looked him up and down with a curled brow. "Not your typical flamboyant sense of style."

"It's laundry day," he said with a shrug. He then thumbed back to the other members of the captured party. "Is there any chance of releasing these humans? They're scared and I'd really like to send them home."

Asteon shook his head. "It is unfortunate that no, I cannot. We played with risk to bring you on board, old friend." He nodded toward them. "I will ensure, however, that they are treated with all the hospitality that guests of the Theonope Presidential Family are afforded." He lowered his voice slightly. "Provided, of course, that they remain to the quarters they are assigned and not make their presence known."

The Doctor's attention was immediately caught. "Division onboard the vessel, then?"

Asteon huffed in annoyance. "A millennia of space travel at service to the Presidential Family, and one year shy of retirement to the Presidential palace I find myself on a vessel captained by an insolent brat of the first family."

"Tell me it isn't…"

"Sincerest apologies, Doctor," Asteon said with regret. "The moment you left Theonope, so did she."

The Doctor winced. "Which would explain why I was unable to reach you the last time I was on your planet."

Asteon bit at his lip in amusement. "Do know that we were briefed on your last visit."

"Yes. I would imagine you were." He looked guilty and amused at the same time. "It was _quite_ the spectacle that trial. Poor Rose, she didn't know how to take it."

"I've taken to watching the footage here and there for the laugh. Your companion, did she run screaming back to Earth to get away from you when it was over?"

"Of course not." The Doctor beamed a wide smile of thrill. "We're betrothed, now."

Asteon palmed his head and moaned. "For the love of your Rassilon, do not mention that when Eskinda happens to discover that you are on board." He looked through his fingers at The Doctor. "She is already wreaking havock upon the innocent just for fun. She will destroy kingdoms and worlds if she finds her Time Lord to be betrothed to another."

The Doctor snorted. "Yeah. Well we have a way around that, anyway, so I wouldn't be too concerned."

"Yes. Well. My congratulations to you. She must be truly special to have wound herself around your hearts. The Doctor who cannot love."

There was silence for a few moments between the two men. It was interrupted when The Doctor cleared his throat. "So. In what way are you looking for my help, Asteon?"

"We need you to return us to our realm. We need to return Eskinda to her father so that she can receive reprimand for her actions." He looked uncomfortable. "We had been on route to our nebula when we suffered an unfortunate collision with a Type-51 TARDIS."

The Doctor's face fell. "A Type-51? No. We can't have one of those in this dimension." He gave a worried look to Asteon. "Was it with, or without pilot?"

"Single pilot, now a prisoner of Eskinda," he answered. "But that TARDIS, Doctor. There was something with that TARDIS that completely rewrote our navigation systems. We were thrown off course, through the vortex and into _this_ world." He moved his hand through the air as though to indicate the world at their feet. "It sent a trace signal to the ground below, I now assume, in search of you."

"Well it found me," he said with a frown. "Do we know the identity of the Time Lord in custody?"

"Will you help _us_ if I help you, Doctor?"

"Of course," The Doctor answered. "In any way that I'm able to." He looked apologetic. "Understand that I'm without my own TARDIS and in a dimension that isn't exactly well enough equipped to be able to slingshot you back home."

Asteon nodded knowingly. "Yes. As we were warned."

"By who?"

"By the Type 51," he answered with surprise. "That ship is much more sentient than what I'm used to encountering."

"Which is why it's dangerous and we have to get it out of this dimension." He tapped at his lip in thought. "Is it connected to this ship, or is it still separate?"

"Dimensional fusion, Doctor."

"O-Kay," he breathed long. "I _could_ make use of sub-routine Sigma 9, but with that level of power, you're probably going to have to jettison some of this craft to do it." His face tightened up. "I can't guarantee it'll work. Without a Gallifreyan source of power, and without any identifiable temporal rift energies in this parallel, it'll be pushing it." He scratched at the back of his head. "As an option, I could get you at least through the breach that the TARDIS created and get a message to my Brother, who could help you out the rest of the way."

"You have a brother?"

"Long story." He blew out a breath. "I _think_ I could get a hypercube set up in fairly short time if I have access to TARDIS power." He rubbed at his chin. "Yes. I believe I can." He rubbed his hands together and grinned. "So. Let's get to it, then. Allons-y."

Asteon waved to his men. "Guards. Please make our guests as comfortable as possible and see to it that their every need is met. They are guests of our Presidential family." He looked to The Doctor as they both left the room. "Where did you want to begin?"

The Doctor followed behind Asteon. "First thing first. Do you know the identity of the Time Lord that is being held on this ship?"

Asteon shook his head, but pulled a disk from his pocket. "The actual identity, no. All I have is this. I expect you might know what it is."

The Doctor's eyes widened as he took the disk in his hand. His eyes, and his fingertip, traced the infinite figure-eight loop. He let out a worried breath. "Rassilon, it can't be. It's the seal of the Prydonian Chapter Houses of Gallifrey."

 


	17. A Time Lady

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose commands a Torchwood team to get on board to find the Doctor. In their search they manage to stumble into a rather regal looking Lady with a message for Rose from Gallifrey.

Rose Tyler's fist came down hard upon the polished Oak finish of the briefing table of the Torchwood strategic offices.

"You will _not_ go about trying to shoot holes in that ship," she demanded. "Not while they're sitting up there all quiet and not doing anything, and especially not while the Doctor is on board."

Marcus folded his arms across his chest and leered down at her. "Can we even verify that the Doctor is on board that ship?"

She gave a firm nod and slid her iPhone across the counter. The _Find my iPhone_ app was active on screen. "Verified," she snapped.

Marcus looked down his nose at the brightly lit face of the phone. "That verifies only that he is in the general area of the ship. For all we know he could be on a patio below the ship drinking one of his banana smoothies."

"If he was on the ground looking up," she snarled. "Then he would have phoned and asked me to go out on a date with him up on that ship." She blew out a breath to calm herself. "I am asking you for one hour. One hour to take a team on board to see if we can engage in any negotiations and see what they want."

He stared at her.

"Just one hour," she urged. "One. After that time frame, regardless of who is up there – me and the Doctor included – you can blow it to hell."

Pete Tyler nodded in agreement. "She's right, Marcus. Torchwood doesn't exist just to blow ships out of the sky on a whim. We've reputed ourselves as a fair organization with means and power to negotiate. We should do so in this instance." He pressed his hands into the table and leaned against taut arms. "They've shown no signs of hostility thus far."

"Except to take four hostages, including a Torchwood agent."

"A Torchwood agent who is probably in the midst of a negotiation with the members of the visiting party," Pete argued. "He's the one who knows what we're up against here, so let's give him the benefit of the doubt and a little bit of back up support." He looked to Rose. "Pull together a team of five to go up there. I'll have Spencer try to back trace the base codes to get you onboard as undetected as possible."

"Thank you!"

He held up a finger of warning. "One hour, Rose. That's your time frame. You will remain in contact with the ground at all times. Find the Doctor, find the hostages, and get them out. Those are your orders."

She nodded quickly. "Understood." She turned to run from the room to gather her team.

"Rose," Pete called after her. "One hour, that's it."

~~oooOOOooo~~

The gathering in the Command Centre was small as Rose Tyler chose the members of her boarding party. With only a one-hour window to put everything together, get on board, find the hostages, and then get out, it was difficult for her to find four volunteers to assist.

She found a team of three men willing to suit up and beam in; and within ten minutes of the order, they were assembled in the Command centre.

Wilson, a tall, lanky man with a killer sniper shot, and a definite admiration for the Doctor. Roberts, a stocky lump of pure muscle that was perfectly able to barrel through any doorway, and Erickson, a calm, handsome, and quiet fellow who was cunning and brilliant out in the field. They were a trio she was most happy to work with.

Spencer worked feverishly on the computer on the main command deck with Pete Tyler looking worriedly over his shoulder and Marcus snarling beside him with the ever effervescent Commander Jackson looming at his side.

"How are you doing, Spence," Rose called up."

"Having some problems with the network, Rose," he answered apologetically. "Working as best I can here, but it's hard when you have eyes on ya all threatening and gnarly and stuff."

Rose adjusted the shoulder strap of the gigantic gun she carried. "I trust you, Spence. We're ready, so the second you get those codes…"

"You'll be on board." He finished for her. "Not a problem, Boss Lady."

Rose looked to her team. "So, boys. You ready to crawl around another alien ship and see what tech we can knick and play with?"

"Oh you know it," Wilson said with a laugh. "Those aliens really do have the best toys."

Roberts was equally eager. "Me and the missus, our tenth anniversary tomorrow. Figure I can grab her something alien as a present."

Rose laughed. "Oh don't you dare. You treat that lady right and get her something pretty. From Earth." She looked impatiently to Spencer. "Please tell me you're having some luck."

Spencer's eyes were wide. "Head's up, Boss Lady. We've got a sensor wave approaching this area. Hot and wide. Looks like your Doctor might be looking for you for that date after all."

"That's my clever boy," she whispered to herself. "I'm right here waiting for ya."

Spencer and Pete Tyler watched with wide eyes as the group suddenly vanished inside a bright blue light.

"I thought you couldn't access the base codes," Pete asked quietly.

"That wasn't me," Spencer muttered in just a low a voice.

"The Doctor, you think?"

"If you want to believe for a second that he'd deliberately pull Rose into danger when he knew she was safely on the ground, then yeah, totally believe the Doc did this."

"Sarcasm wasn't necessary." Pete let out a rattled breath that was a mix between moan and growl. "I'll pull an extraction team together just in case. Keep working on those codes and monitoring the team on board." He put a hand on Spencer's shoulder. "I can't stop the Board's decision to blow that thing out of the sky at the end of the hour, but I'll sure as hell have someone ready to go up there and pull them out if I have to."

"Have you ever introduced the board to Jackie?" Spencer mused.

Marcus leaned in to Jackson, ignorant to the conversation taking place ahead of him. "Now that we have adequate distraction, we should meet."

~~oooOOOooo~~

Each of the four team members gagged to dry heaving as they burst through the transmat stream. That trip was very unlike any they'd experienced through Torchwood methods, and it had each of them immediately on guard and ready for a fight.

Rose led the squad and pushed her hand down in the air as she approached a corner to ask them to wait. She let just one eye breach the corner to look into the next corridor. It was thankfully empty, and she waved her hand to the team to let them file past her as she kept an eye on the rear. She jogged backward as they all rounded the corner.

"I don't see any movement at all," Wilson said with a grunt as he kept his eye down his scope. "Nothing. This place looks deserted."

"Don't let your eyes fool you," Rose warned. "Some of these aliens can be cunning bastards."

"Peel out of the woodwork," Roberts growled. "Like bloody ghosts."

"I wish I could honestly assure you otherwise," Rose said with a sigh. "So keep sharp. If you have a feeling about something, take that shit and run with it."

"Ten-four," Wilson answered, making sure to take the lead. He turned to press his back into a wall and checked the charge on his gun. "Looks like we're in a cell block," he admitted dryly. "Doc must've gotten himself into some decent trouble if he brought us here."

"Doesn't he _always_ , her himself into decent trouble," Roberts remarked with a nudge in the arm to Erickson. "Scan for prisoners, mate."

"I gotto get that man out for a few beers," Erickson joked in return as he set his thermal scanners to search beyond walls. "Sober he's a hoot, drunk must be a riot." He stopped the scan on a single cell. "Looks like we have a live one. Not the Doc, this one's a woman." He looked to Rose. "Intel says how many?"

"Four including the Doctor," she answered quickly. "Two women, one middle-age, the other a teenager, and two men; the Doctor, and a twenty-something man that, according to the CCT feed looks something like a rooster."

"Or a Billy Idol fan," Wilson mused. "Do we blow the door, Commander?" He let his eyes shift to Rose. "It'll probably blow our cover."

Rose licked at her lip and took a step toward the door. "Let me see if we can access it from outside the cell. The guards would have to have easy access if they're on watch, so an access panel, maybe?" She looked to Erickson. "Keep scanning, Roberts, keep an eye out, Wilson and I will see about getting this door open."

"You got it," Roberts answered as he took up sentinel position at the corner.

Wilson and Rose approached the door and shared a look of complete embarrassment to find a rather large access panel beside the door. Rose bit at her lip and gave Wilson a quick jut of her chin to the pad. "You do the honours." She held up her weapon. "I'll be your body guard."

"Bloody gun's bigger than you are," Wilson mused with a grin. "So hot."

"That's sexual harassment," she sang as the door hissed open. She stepped inside with her gun raised high and Wilson directly behind her with his eye locked down his scope. "Who's in here," Rose called. "We're from Torchwood, we're here to get you out."

An aging, but gentle motherly voice answered from the darkness. "You are the _Wolf_. I've been expecting you."

Rose's grip on her gun tightened, and a grunt from behind her advised that Wilson had done the same. Her voice was a mix of fear, curiosity and threat all in one. "How do you know who I am?"

The figure stepped from the shadows and stood with regal air before Rose and Wilson. Her crimson and orange robe and golden elaborate head dress left little doubt that the woman who stood before them was royalty. Rose wasn't sure if she needed to bow or curtsey. She made do with lowering the gun and signaling for Wilson to do the same.

"Are you a prisoner," Rose asked gently.

The woman gave a slow, and low, nod of her head. "A prisoner, yes. But not one necessarily incarcerated unwillingly." She smiled as she took a step toward Rose. "My, but you are a stunning creature."

"Oh," Rose answered uncomfortably. "Why, thank you." She cleared her throat and took a step back to allow the woman to walk past her to the door. She lowered her head politely. "After you, ma'am."

The woman didn't step beyond Rose. Instead, she moved a step closer and lifted Rose's chin using the crook of her finger. "No need for formalities, Rose Tyler. We stand on equal ground, you and I."

Rose gasped. Wilson's gun flew upward to lock and load toward the woman. "How'd you know her name," he demanded. "Answer or I'll blow a bloody great hole in your head. You're not on my hostage list, no one will ever know."

The woman was amused. "Does my son know that he has competition for your affections?" She waved her hand at Wilson. "You can drop your weapon. I mean no harm."

Two faces lengthened in complete horrified shock. Wilson was the one, however, who voiced what was running through both of their minds.

"The Doc has a _mother_?"

"Is that so surprising," she answered back incredulously. "All children have mothers. They would not be born otherwise."

"Yeah, but _him_? I didn't think he was actually born, just was kind of _there_." Wilson shook his head. "Nope. Still can't imagine it."

"But," Rose managed on a quiet and shaking breath. "But he told me you were all dead. Gallifrey burned. Gone. Everything, _gone._ "

"No more," the woman answered in a ghostly tone of voice. "No more."

"But he blames himself," she charged. "He thinks he's the only one left. He mourns that loss _every day_."

The woman set her hands on Rose's shoulders. "My son has explained to you how time works, has he not?"

Rose nodded frantically. "Yes. Points that are fixed, lines that are in flux. I have a very basic understanding." She swallowed. "But the destruction of Gallifrey…"

"Will be prevented by the Wolf and the Storm." The woman smiled. "As it always has been."

Rose gasped. "It _has_?"

"You have seen all of time and space, Rose. You saw all the timelines past and future. All that was, all that is, and all that will be." She cupped Rose's cheek in her hand. "Did you see Gallifrey ablaze in that moment?"

"I don't remember," she admitted softly. "The Doctor. He took those memories away from me so I wouldn't burn."

"And I am here to help you remember," the woman cooed gently. "Rassilon sent me, as penance for my crimes against his rule, for you to become the power behind Gallifrey's very survival. His order is that I sacrifice myself for your survival."

"No," Rose gasped in a hot decline. "I won't let you sacrifice anything, especially yourself."

"You have no choice," the woman crooned as she moved quickly toward Rose with her hands raised to take her head on her fingers. "The path must be completed to protect the very fabric of time and space."

Wilson snorted, his gun raised high. "Well it's obvious where _he_ gets it from."

"Wilson, shut up." Rose evaded the woman's touch with a spin and took steps backward to put space between them. "No," she hissed with a hand raised in a _stop_ motion. "He has lost enough. I won't let him lose anything else – especially not _you_."

"In my place you sacrifice yourself, Rose," she countered. "Is that what you think he wants; to lose you again? You will _not_ survive the birth of your TARDIS without my help."

"But I can be replaced," she argued meekly. "A mother can't."

The woman dropped her head in sorrow. "I have not spoken to my son in seven hundred years, Rose. There exists no parental bond between us."

“That’s a lie” she challenged. “He told me himself that every little boy would tear the universe apart to for his mummy. He wouldn’t say something like that if he didn’t love you.”

“I lie not, child.”

Rose's breath immediately hitched and she moved quickly to offer support to her. "Then. Then we can fix that. We can." She put her hand lightly on her arm. "I can help you."

Without so much as an intake of breath, the Doctor's mother snapped her hands to Rose's face and locked her fingers against her cheek and temples. "By the order of Rassilon, I accept my exile and pass along my right of birth to the houses of Prydon to you, Rose Tyler, so that you can fulfill Time's demand and rescue our civilization alongside the renegade child loomed and cast from Lungbarrow."

Explosive golden light enveloped both women, temporarily blinding the young soldier at guard in the room with them. The cry of a wolf, and the pained cry of Rose Tyler filled the room.

It was like having her head stuck in a vice, tightening and tightening, crushing her skull. Image after image, thoughts, pains, pleasures, heartbreak and elation. It was all filling her mind with brilliant light and horrific darkness. Songs and laughter, tears and joy. Information, data, figures, science, language. Time and space explained. Destiny.

Roses eyes were wide through the light as she looked upon the woman ahead of her. "No more," she begged. "Please. No more."

The vice-like grip of the woman's fingers released with a vacuous sensation, which drew Rose's face and body forward. With a simultaneous cry, the women fell into a combined heap on the floor.

"Shit! Rose," Wilson yelped as he broke position and dropped to the floor beside the two women. Each hand reached for the pulses of each woman. "Erickson, Roberts, get the hell in here."

Roberts skidded to the floor beside Wilson, tossing his gun to the side. "Erickson, on guard, man. We got girls down!" He looked at Wilson. "What the hell happened?"

"Shit, I dunno, mate," Wilson admitted with panic. "But whatever we do, we gotto get ‘em both out of here, and safe. Doc'll lose his shit if we lose either one of them."

"S'Okay," Rose managed with a slur. "S'all good. M'good." She clutched at her head and pressed iher forehead into the ground, using her knees as leverage. "My head's killin' me."

"You need a Doctor," Roberts offered innocently.

"That's not even half way funny," Rose growled. She gasped. "How's Mother?"

"I am weak, but I will be fine," The woman answered quietly. She touched her hand to the back of Rose's head. "It will take you time to get used to your new consciousness. But, your mind is strong, young lady. Strong. The will of the Wolf-child of Gallifrey."

Rose looked tearfully at her. "What did you do to me?"

"I did what I had to do," she promised.

Wilson's wrist emerged between the two women, and his finger to point at a watch. "Can we possibly ask you two to continue this at another time? We've only got twenty minutes left to find Doc and the hostages before Torchwood blow us to Kingdom come."

Rose nodded sharply and moved swiftly to her feet. "Yes. I have to find him." She looked at Mother with concern. "Are you in any condition to join us?"

"Don't matter," Wilson muttered with a groan as he dropped and hauled the Doctor’s Mother up over his shoulder. "I've got her, you lot cover me. If she gets hit with anything unfriendly, then dealing with Doc is on your ass." He looked to a very quickly recovering Rose Tyler. "You good Commander?"

"Right as rain," she answered sharply. "Let's go find my Doctor."

Robert shouldered Wilson's weapon and took flank behind he and Rose. He nodded up to the woman balanced on Wilson's shoulder and addressed his teammate. "I'm guessing another Time Lord, or Lady, or whatever they are?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, man."

 


	18. The T-51 TARDIS Pilot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor realizes that he isn't the best TARDIS pilot in the family - though he probably, maybe and perhaps is the smartest of them all.

The Doctor rolled the disk between thumb and finger as he walked beside his old friend Asteon. He was unusually quiet as his mind raced with curiosity as to who might be on board and under custody on this ship. The Lords from the Prydonian Chapter numbered many, but there weren't too many of them that would seek access to a decommissioned TARDIS machine such as the Type 51; it would practically be beneath them. Moreso, to the very best of his knowledge all of the Time Lords from all houses were on Gallifrey when he … when the planet burned.

Well. Then again. The Master escaped, didn't he? Any other one of the Time Lords could have escaped the blaze, too. Why was he so quick to assume that he would be the only one? But who?

He wiped his hand down his face. The Prydonian chapter had a reputation for producing the more devious and cunning Time Lords. Master and Doctor included.

It could be anyone. Even the Grand Master himself.

The Doctor shuddered at the thought.

But, all speculation aside. Regardless of which of the Time Lords was on board, it was a good thing. A really good thing. He truly was not the last of his kind. And that, was just brilliant.

Unless he was facing another kind of _Master._

He shuddered again.

Asteon gave him a sideways glance. "Ten credits for your thoughts, Doctor."

"Yeah," he breathed long. "'bout the right price, but they're probably not entirely appropriate for where we are right now." He scruffed at his hair. "Your cell block, it's secure, yeah?"

Asteon gave a nod. "Our Containment areas are as secure as most Presidential ships." He pressed his palm into an access panel. "Has the quandary about this Time Lord’s identity got you worried?"

The Doctor grinned. "Of course not. Why would one need to be concerned about a Lord of Time."

"Oh I just can't think of a single reason," Asteron intoned sarcastically. "None at all." Then he grinned suddenly. "Now those Time _Ladies_ on the other hand…"

A squeal from the end of the corridor behind them shoved The Doctor's response back into his throat. "What the?”

“No! I won't stay here with _you._ I want to go with The Doctor!"

The Doctor's eyes shot wide as he spun in place. A little brunette comet torpedoed into his chest. "Uh. Jane?" He ignored Asteon's chuckle. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm on an alien ship," she whimpered into his chest. "What do _you_ think?" She looked up tearfully. Her expression of pure and absolute innocence was obviously very well-rehearsed. "Can I please stay with you?"

The Doctor pursed his lips to hide his amusement. It didn't help that Asteon was breathing in chuckles at his side. "You're holding just short of a complete temper tantrum, aren't you?"

She nodded.

"So if I tell you that it's too dangerous and that you should stay with the guards…"

"Would you like to find out?" She nestled into his side. "Because I think it's for the best that you and I stay together."

The Doctor gave a defeated sigh and slid his hand into hers. "You can stay with me, then. If it makes you feel better." He gave Asteon a desperate look. "So, Asteon?"

"Yes, Doctor?" He answered without bothering to shield his amusement that The Doctor had once again found himself another admirer. No matter his incarnation this Time Lord most certainly _still got it_.

The Doctor’s voice was an octave higher due to the biting down of his own amusement. "Could you possibly take me to the remnants of the TARDIS command console?" He took a gulping breath. "I want to see what's available to use to get you back home." He peeped as Jane shifted that little bit closer to his side.

Asteon swallowed a snort and pointed ahead of them. "Just through here, old friend. As luck would have it, the command console of the TARDIS ended up on our main command deck."

"Oh," he hummed nervously. "I really don't like coincidences."

"Luck isn't exactly a word in our vocabulary, is it?"

"It actually isn't a word in my native tongue," he mused softly as he dropped the hand of the young teenager to rush to the mess of wires and control panels scattered along one wall and toward the console of the Theonope craft. "Nothing is chance."

"Not in our experience, anyway." He walked with The Doctor toward the main computer. "Do you think this may be an intentional collision?"

The Doctor considered the question for a moment, his lips tight and sealed together. As he analysed the debris he let out a breath. "A TARDIS doesn't typically allow its pilot to collide it with another craft. It'll automatically override the pilot commands – or make it pretty well known that bad things are about to happen." He looked further along the damaged console. "From my experience, a TARDIS will fight for all she's worth to stop a collision before it could happen." His eyes widened with remembrance of his own TARDIS' behaviour. "Trust me on that. My old girl, _phew_ , she would fight."

"So a collision is impossible then?"

"Well. Obviously not _impossible._ " He pointed to the damage. "Improbable, yeah. And I'm not saying that I've never been involved in collisions between TARDIS machines and the such." He tugged at his ear. "But you have to have a lot of things go pretty badly wrong all at the same time to end up with what we're looking at here."

"So definitely intentional."

"Oh," The Doctor breezed across a whisper. "Intentional and then some. But _why_? Why would a Time Lord deliberately crash a TARDIS into another ship and then alter their course through a dimensional wall? What's the purpose? _Why_?"

"Yes," Asteon mused. "And I like the word _why_ just as much as I like the concept of luck and coincidence."

The Doctor dove head first into a space under the console that once belonged to the TARDIS. He inwardly cursed – for perhaps the 700th time since being left in the parallel world – the loss of his Sonic Screwdriver while he let his fingers move through the wiring.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much," The Doctor said with a grunt as he tugged a box free of wiring. "This little baby's going to give us all the information we want." He wriggled out from his place under the console and jogged toward the main computer console for the Theonope craft. "Banshee Circuit," he advised, shaking the unit as he walked. "Our Flight Data Recorder. This will let us know _exactly_ what happened." He plugged it in to the computer and wiped his palms on his denim covered thighs. "And hopefully, how to get you out of this mess."

The Doctor slipped his glasses from where he'd hooked them on the collar of his shirt, and settled them on the bridge of his nose. With his hand curled around his chin, and with a relaxed slouch against the console, he filtered through the data on the screen.

Asteon watched with concern as The Doctor's expression filtered between shock, awe, fear, and back to shock and awe. "Is everything okay, Doctor?"

"How very clever," the Doctor answered somewhat distractedly as he pressed a couple of buttons on the console and looked through more information. "So clever. Brilliant in fact. _Absolutely brilliant._ "

"Is that good or bad?"

The Doctor looked quickly toward his old friend with the wide eyes of an excited child. "The pilot of this TARDIS was pure genius," he began quickly. "And moreso being that they did it on a T-51!”

“I don’t need to ask you to explain why that’s an accomplishment, do I old friend?”

The Doctor grinned a rather cheeky, yet maniacal grin. “Oh absolutely not. Happy to just launch into it.” He inhaled. “The T-51 TARDIS was designed with a Cybernetic Personality Matrix Interface to be used in conjunction with a Symbiotic Bypass, to allow it to fly without a pilot. And, _well_ , the design didn't quite meet expectation." He looked to Asteon with a slight roll of his eyes. "The CPMI glitched, which made the machine more _sentient_ than intended. "

"In what way," Asteon queried as he slid his own glasses up high on his nose.

The Doctor sighed. "They got grumpy, developed disruptive personalities."

"Turned into teenage girls, then?"

The Doctor gave a laugh. "Ho-Yes."

Beside them, Jane growled in disgust. "That's very insulting, you know."

"But so very true," muttered Asteon. "I've fathered four of them, and am grandfather to another six."

The Doctor seemed a little impressed by the figure. "Well, congratulations to you, my virile old friend."

Asteon gave a single belch of a laugh. "Considering my species gives birth to litters of three or more children, Doctor, that makes me less virile and more sterile, wouldn't you say?"

"Traveling with a political brat will do that to a man." He went back to the computer. "But we digress. Back to the matter at hand."

"So by genius," Asteon began. "Just what level of brilliance are we looking at here?"

The Doctor ticked his head in admiration. "Oh. Right up there with the best of them." He spun and pressed his rump into the edge of the console and folded his arms across his chest. "The pilot of this TARDIS was able to rewrite the block transfer process of the ship – in flight - to allow complete compliance to any command, without question. Imagine that, convincing a hormonal teenage girl to comply with your every command.” He nodded with a grin. “Impressive, yeah? Anyway, the Absolute Tesseractulator should have identified to the TARDIS that it was approaching a dimensional barrier, and the TARDIS should have counteracted the pilot's flight plan to prevent collision between two dimensions. Because breaching a dimensional wall is bad. Very bad." He took a breath and began to lightly pace while he spoke. "But what this pilot did, was continuously track the movement of your ship through space until you were in the perfect navigational position for the Tesseractulator to be blinded to the wall. Exiting the Vortex at that precise moment allowed this pilot to materialize in space and collide with your ship before the TARDIS safety protocols could take control to stop it." He looked both terrified and impressed at the same time. "With the programming done to the CPMI, the TARDIS immediately went into survival mode, merged with your ship, and resumed its original course."

Asteon's expression was fairly neutral, but it was clear that he was unnerved. "Can you possibly tell the identity of the pilot through that little box there?" He blew out a shaking breath. "Because obviously this pilot wanted to get into your parallel, which I can only assume means that they're looking for _you_."

"Oh," he breathed with a frown. "I didn't think of that."

"Yes, well that's why you don't work in security, Doctor." He cleared his throat. "Anyone that's looking for you, and makes such great effort to find you, isn't usually on your path to play nice. Now that you are fairly undefended without your TARDIS, and in a dimension where no other immediate assistance can be found to back you up, we need to be concerned."

The Doctor frowned. "I wouldn't discount Rose and her Torchwood teams, Asteon."

"Against a Time Lord of Gallifrey? Need I remind _you_ of your difficulties in dealing with Lords such as the Master?"

"Good point," The Doctor growled as he went back to the computer and searched the database for the user protocols of the pilot. "I know we are dealing with a graduate of the Prydonian Chapter."

"Who, we both know, are the trickiest and most brilliant of the Time Lord chapters."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Take it as you will, Doctor."

The Doctor didn't answer as his eyes locked on the screen. "No," he breathed on a low, low, voice. "It can't be."

"Doctor?"

The Doctor shook his head as he shoved himself away from the console and backed up a few steps. He raked his hands through his hair and clutched two tight handfuls. His eyes were wide and his brows arched high. "It can't be. It just _can’t_. Why? How?"

Asteon was immediately on guard. "We have that Time Lord in custody in our cell block, Doctor. Do we need to step up security?"

The Doctor approached him quickly. His eyes flared and his teeth grit tightly together. "You need to take me to her. Now. Right now."

"Her?" Asteon looked slightly confused. "Our prisoner is a Time Lady?"

"Not just _any_ Time Lady," he snarled. "Where is she?"

 


	19. From Bad to Worse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a TARDIS somewhere in the rubble of that ship ... Surely the Doctor can salvage the timey wimey part of it and go back to the morning for a redo of the day...

The four Torchwood agents, and one Time Lady, made their way silently through the corridors of the Theonope craft. Three minutes since leaving the cell block, and not a member of the party had voiced any of the thoughts running through their heads about the addition to their team. But, with the team walking single file, each monitoring a different scanning tool and watching for any possible unfriendlies, the time for questions wasn't exactly this point in time.

Or was it?

Erickson was the first member of the team to finally speak as he approached another corner and stuck to the wall as he motioned for the other members to pause. He began with his thermal scanner, and then cautiously peered around the wall.

"Nothing," he groused cautiously. "We're not coming up against anything here." He looked past Wilson, who was battling to see past a thick velvet robe and a Time Lady's back side, toward Rose. "This craft looks deserted, commander. ‘ave you got any idea as to why?"

Rose licked at her lip. "Well. Near as I can tell, we're stalking around in a class 2 V-35 Theonope Presidential Scout vessel. Scientific class. While it may as well be a city of its own, it isn't heavily manned." She smoothed her hand over her hair to press down the flyaway stands that had escaped her pony tail. "Typically just a handful of Theonope Scientists with a small military – or guard – group for defense if required. They're a fairly peaceful civilization just out to scout the universe and explore what's out there. Kind of like Star Trek." Her words slowed dramatically, not quite punctuating every word, but certainly indicating that she was becoming very uncomfortable. "And how do I know that?"

The time Lady balanced precariously upon Wilson's shoulder offered her a smile of pride. "Oh, but the transfer of consciousness was successful, child. You now have the reach into the vast intelligence held by our Lords of Time."

Rose stopped walking quickly enough that Roberts collided with her back. His gun went up immediately, and he curled a step around her to offer protection against whatever sneaky alien being must've just materialized in front of her.

"I have you covered, Commander."

Rose raised her hand sharply. "Stand down. Wilson, put her down this instant."

Wilson spun abruptly, his eyes full of question. "You sure? She's probably safer up here than trying to run about with all these robes flapping about her feet."

"Oh," she growled. "Very sure. If she's half of what her son is, then she's more than capable."

"On your order, then, Rose." He set the Time Lady on her feet and held supportively at her waist a moment just to be sure she was steady on her feet. "You good, love?"

"I am grateful for your kindness and care, but I am able to walk upon my own two feet, young man," she said with a gracious smile. "And do call me Marissa. That was the name given to me by my parents."

Wilson sheepishly rubbed at the back of his head. "Yeah. You're welcome, Marissa. Got a last name for me by any chance? My mum taught her boy to be a little more respectful than to call an elder by her first name."

“Are you calling me _old_ , dear boy?”

“No. Just trying to be respectful ma’am.” He clicked his fingers to Roberts to hand over the weapon. "You and me, mate. Let's scout ahead and give the ladies a chance to talk." He blew out a breath as his eyes widened. "Best do it now while it's still quiet." He pointed to his watch. "Remember, time's short, girls. So move and talk at the same time, yeah?"

Rose nodded, her brows knit tightly together. "Yeah. Yeah. Multitask it, I hear ya."

Erickson kept watch at the rear of the group. "I'll call ground and see if we can get some extra time up here. I'll verify a non-hostile party."

"Thanks."

Mother took stride beside Rose and clasped her hands together in front of her belly. "I expect that you have concerns."

"And then some," Rose breathed. Her annoyance was palpable. "Unless the laws have changed since the Doctor was last on Gallifrey, entering the mind of another without permission is a violation of the highest order." She let out a breath. "Right up there with screwing with timelines and interfering with fixed-point moments of time."

"Yet my son has been found most guilty of the latter by several intergalactic agencies." Her smile was one of challenge. "And you do not question him."

"Because he does what's right," she defended. "He saves lives."

"Which justifies the means," Mother said with soft pride. "He has always been very unorthodox in his methods, but one cannot argue with his results."

Rose hummed a sound that was a mix between agreement and a request to continue. She was monitoring her own scanning device as they walked. "He’s already taken that consciousness away from me, Marissa _,_ " she began quietly as she held the device a little higher to scan to the front. "Because he said it was killing me. A Time Lord consciousness can't exist in a human brain. There aren't enough neurological transmitters to allow the necessary telepathic protections to prevent complete meltdown. " She slumped for a brief moment. "God. I'm an Estate kid who didn't even finish High School. How do I know that?"

Mother simply stared ahead into the dimly lit steel corridor.

"Are you trying to kill me," Rose asked softly.

"I really shouldn't dignify that question with any kind of response," Mother growled angrily. "But you are born of human stock, and so I must concede that this is something unknown to your kind."

"Say that with a little less of an upturned nose, please."

Marissa let out a long suffering breath. "My apologies, Rose. I don't intentionally mean to make you feel as though humans are a lesser species. It's just that centuries of standing upon a pedestal overlooking Time and Space have developed certain habits…"

"…That make you appear holier than thou," Rose finished for her. "Yeah. Don't think I'm not used to it by now. As much as I love him, the Doctor can infuriate me sometimes with that very attitude."

"And now you can counter with your very own," Mother teased with a cheeky grin that held more than a slight resemblance to the Doctor's. "I assure you that you're in no danger from this new awareness, Rose. I merely provided you with Time Lord Consciousness because you are…" She was halted by Rose's hand being abruptly thrust upward into her face.

"Yeah, yeah. Because I'm the Bad Wolf," Rose hissed as she pocketed her scanner and lifted her weapon. "I'm up to date on that part. But Shh. More important stuff afoot. Wilson, you got it?"

Wilson gave a firm nod and flicked his hand to order Roberts to his side. "Movement, mate. Two o'clock, pair o' guards."

Roberts gave a firm nod. "Left and right flank, corner 'em in."

"Guns to stun," Rose ordered. "Erickson, stay to the back and watch our rear ends." She looked up to Marissa, who was eagerly rolling up her sleeves. "Oh. I was about to ask…"

She flicked a small handgun from beneath the sleeve of her robe. "As the young man Wilson suggested earlier, the Doctor gets who he is from _somewhere_."

Rose raised a brow. "Not from his Dad, then?"

Marissa winked. "We Ladies of Time are far more _adventurous_ than our Lords, child. His father may lay claim to my son's hunger for adventure, but really. _All me_."

"Oh," Rose sang through a wide smile as the pair braced with weapons locked and loaded. "I think I'm going to like you."

~~oooOOOooo~~

Asteon found himself shrinking back lightly from the Doctor. Friends for centuries, he'd never seen him look so aggrieved. He held his hand outward in a _stop_ order to his accompanying guards, who had immediately set aim upon the Doctor when he lunged with such hostility toward their Commander.

"Old friend," he warned evenly. "What is it that has you so upset? Who is this Time Lady?"

"I just need you to take me to her," the Doctor growled. "Her identity is best left for me to know only at this juncture."

"She is on my craft, Doctor," he countered in warning. "After deliberately colliding with it and rewriting our travel coordinates." He glared toward the Doctor. "Tell me. What force are we going to be dealing with here?"

"My mother," the Doctor admitted along a growl.

Asteon immediately took two steps backward. His hands were raised in his own defense. "Old friend. I assure you that I did not know."

"And on that I'll trust you," the Doctor muttered. "But I don't need to tell you…"

"That she's the only being in this universe and beyond more dangerous than you are when cornered. Yes, I know, I faced down that battle during her second regeneration when you were just a loomling." He flicked his fingers in invitation to follow. "She is most definitely cornered right now. Let us make haste, my friend."

"Is it really that the Mother herself is so dangerous," a soft, melodious voice crooned from the doorway. "Or is the wrath of her Renegade child the true danger?"

The Doctor straightened tall and his face lengthened in annoyance, but he didn't immediately turn around. "Of all the shit-house timing in the universe."

"Hello, my Doctor." Eskinda of Theonope sang seductively. "It has been such a long time, and I have spent so much time looking for you."

The Doctor stiffened when she touched at his hip. "Yeah." He began on a long and calming breath. He then gave himself an inward shake, and spun to her with a smile on his face and a cheeky glint in his eyes. "Good to see you again, Eskinda. You are looking as radiant as ever. I'd love to take a moment to catch up, but I have some prior commitments that must be attended to. Busy man and all that. So if you don't mind. Cheerio."

Eskinda laughed breathlessly and hooked her hand around his arm. "Oh not so fast, my love. Your dear mother is quite fine, I can assure you."

The Doctor closed his eyes and swallowed his aggression down into his gut. "Did you play any part in her _accident_ with your ship?"

"Oh no," she sang inside a giggle. "That was all so perfectly coincidental. Here we are, two women searching the universe for the same man." She leaned in to him. "It's destiny," she whispered.

"Actually," he countered back with the same husky whisper. "No it's not. See. I'm not the Lord you're looking for." He pulled back from her and held his arms out to their full length in front of him in the hopes of keeping adequate distance from her. "You're looking for my brother." He thumbed behind him. "Next parallel over. Shouldn't take you too long to get there. I'll give you his phone number and he can meet you at the gate."

Eskinda pushed against his outstretched hands. "You are him. I would know my Doctor anywhere."

"Well," he said at length with a tick of his head to one side. He kept her held out at arm's length. "I can see your confusion. Really I can. He and I, _well_. We're like clones or twins – and I am absolutely the more evil version. We have the same thoughts, same face – Well, not the same face now apparently – but same everything else pretty much." He grinned hopefully. "So now that we have that all clarified, you will need to excuse me. _Busy_ , as I said earlier."

She gave him a look of pure adoration and rounded her arms through the space between the arms he had held on her shoulders, and snapped them downward to circle his arms around her waist. "Such a coy fellow, aren't you my love?"

He swallowed uncomfortably, and even though his arms were around her waist, he was pretty careful to make sure that his hands did not touch any part of her. Nope. Not a single part of her.

"I'm betrothed to another," he admitted suddenly. "You and I. We can't be together. By the law set down by your father, we cannot be."

Eskinda's eyes flared angrily. "You lie," she cried in a seething grunt. "You are promised to me, Doctor."

His face screwed up slightly, apologetically. "Yeah. See. I think that's where the confusion comes in." He managed to free himself to step backward again, arms up and eyes wide. "We were never officially entered into a betrothal commitment. Our parents – yours _and_ mine – were against that union. I was too old. You too young. There's almost five centuries of age gap between us."

She tried to reach out for his cheek. "But age means nothing to me, my love."

"Yeah," he said somewhat unsurely. "But it does to me. Five hundred years is an unbridgeable gap." He heard a snort from where Asteon stood and fired an unappreciative glare toward him. "If you're not going to help, Asteon…"

"Oh. You're doing just fine by yourself, Doctor."

Eskinda looked deflated. "But my love. I have searched for you. Longed for you. I travelled the entire universe looking for that beautiful blue box of yours so that we can be together."

"Which is how I can prove to you that I'm not him," he vowed gently. "I don't have a TARDIS. My Brother has the TARDIS, and he is the man you're looking for, not me." He held her arms tenderly. "My hearts, they beat for only one woman. I'm sorry, Eskinda, but those beats belong to another."

Eskinda's eyes dropped angrily to the young brunette girl standing just off to the Doctor's side. "And do they beat for _her_ , Doctor? Is this _child_ the one who has your hearts in her hands?" She sneered down, disgusted. "And a _human_?"

The Doctor looked quite insulted at the accusation. "No, Eskinda. She is not."

Eskinda lunged out and snapped a handful of Jane's hair in her hand. Her lips curled to assess the one who was her competition. "This. _This_. This _human_ is the one who has won the heart of the Doctor?"

"Leave her alone," he demanded sharply. "She's a child, Eskinda."

"A child, indeed," Eskinda snarled. She looked into the Jane's face with an expression of jealous fury. "Who are you, Human? Tell me your name before I cast you off this ship and away from my love."

Jane squealed. The Doctor snarled. He moved forward to free the young girl, but was forced back by Eskinda's presidential guards, who quickly lifted their guns at him. He stepped back with his hands raised. "Leave her alone," he snapped again. "Do what you want with me, but for the love of your Goddess, let her go."

"So you do love her," she sneered. She pulled the terrified girl toward her, chest against her back, and snarled into her ear. "What is your name, child, so I can remind him of what his infidelity costs him."

Jane whimpered. "Doctor, help me."

"Come on, Eskinda. Love. Please," the Doctor begged. "I'm sorry."

"Tell me your name!" She yelled into the girl's ear.

"Jane," she sobbed. "Jane Graham. My." She hiccupped. "My dad works with the Doctor."

"What?" The Doctor belched. " _What_?" A breath that was close to a panicked whimper. " _What_? Oh. This is bad."

Eskinda gave a laugh. "You didn't know about your child love, Doctor?"

"She's _not_ my…" He raked a hand through his hair and began to pace. "TARDIS. I need my TARDIS. I need my ship to go back in time to this morning, and make sure that I never got out of bed. I'll risk the damn paradox."

Eskinda looked with curiosity at the Doctor as he began counting off his fingers. "What are you doing?"

His eyes shot up hot and wide. "I'm just adding up all the things that have gone wrong this evening. Doing the math. This ship has a Time Machine attached to it, and I’m going to use it."

"Don't be so dramatic, love," she crooned. She released the girl's hair and stroked at her long, brown, pony tail. "Saving her is easy enough."

The Doctor had a horrible sinking feeling that he knew where this was headed. With a dark look he thrust his hands deeply into the pocket of his jeans. "Yeah. Right."

Eskinda sashayed across the short space between them and curled her fingers around the back of the Doctor's neck. She tickled lightly at the nape of his neck. "Do you remember how we were back then, Doctor?" Her nose brushed lightly against his. "How good it felt to be together."

"We were never _together_ ," he argued in a low and husky voice. "It was just flirtation."

"Oh," she moaned. "It was so much more than just flirting."

"Let her go, and we can…" The rest of his words caught as she claimed his mouth with hers. It was an immediate, deep and penetrating kiss that took the wind from his chest. Although her hands and arms sought reciprocated movments of his, the Doctor merely thrust his hands deeper into his jean pockets; so deep that he was in danger of pushing his pants off his hips completely. With wide eyes of panic, he looked to Asteon for help.

Asteon merely thumbed at his nose in amusement and looked at his watch. "Sorry, old friend."

A commanding voice, a woven mix of disgust, jealousy and anger thundered loudly from the doorway to the Command deck.

"Get your mouth off my Time Lord!"


	20. Team Doctor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor likes them clever - and who is cleverer than a pair of Time Ladies?

One thing that Rose had decided on this little jaunt of theirs, was that she had finally found her Torchwood team. She'd gone into mad situations with many soldiers from the Torchwood unit, led many a mission, but not until today could she honestly state that she'd been given a team that she truly felt comfortable with.

These guys represented a combination of duty and calm that she had sorely missed since she travelled with the Doctor. That mentality of: _sure, things might be a little on the scary side, but we'll get through it no problem, and in the meantime let’s have some fun shall we? Allons-y!_

She was going to insist that her team of five included her Doctor and the three men currently working at her side.

Wilson and Roberts had quickly, silently and efficiently accosted and subdued the two guards standing at the doorway. Both guards were slumped just slightly beyond the doorway, back against back, tied together with a length of Duct tape pulled from Robert's handy little cargo pocket.

A third soldier had quickly been subdued by Marissa, herself. It was a shock to all present. A lone guard had snuck up behind the Time Lady and thrust the muzzle of a gun in between her shoulder blades. He had barely gotten out his threat of _If you move I'll shoot_ before the Doctor's mother had spun in place, robes flowing dramatically around her, removed the gun from his possession and had it trained, aimed, locked and loaded on him.

"I believe that the threat is now upon you, young man," she purred across a dark breath. "Now if you wouldn't mind. Please join your friends as swiftly as you can and with as little fuss as possible." She rolled her shoulder dramatically. "I do not like to wield such large and cumbersome weapons, and so my annoyance at such may leave me with little desire but to fire and be done with it."

The guard did as requested. Erickson bit his smile as he stepped in to take the weapon from Marissa. "Here, love. Let me take that from you." He took her weapon and then turned to the remainder of the team and mouthed a very impressed _wow._

"Thank you, young man," Marissa said with a wide smile. "Oh my, how good it feels to be back out there. I feel as young as 500 right now."

"Yeah. O-Kay," Rose managed without trying to hide her amusement as she dealt with assisting Wilson in securing the guards. "Someone mind checking on what our next port of call in this ship is?" She pointed toward yet another corridor entrance. “Or are we heading down yet another corridor. I swear that the TARDIS had less corridors than this bloody ship does.”

"You can leave that to me, child," Mother breezed with a smile. She stepped to the doorway and kept silent as she pressed her back into the wall and lightly shifted her attention to what was beyond the corner. Her brows shot high to find that the doorway did not lead to another corridor but to the main control deck of the craft.

Beyond the breach of the doorway, she could clearly identify pieces of her destroyed TARDIS machine. She could see her son pacing the floor in frustration, and had to admit to just a slight amount of thrill to see that after all these years that protective streak could come out of him for his mother.

"Rose, child," she breathed softly. "We have happened upon the target area for your assignment." She looked back to the team commander with a smile. "Shall you and I make our presence known, or are you one to opt for the dramatic entrance with all members of the team?"

"Drama is always fun." Rose stood behind the Doctor's mother and peered over her shoulder to take a look into the room. "Oh yes. There he is," she whispered. "Oh and he doesn't look at all _happy_."

"He's just realized that I'm on board." Her eyes shifted to look down her shoulder. "And I expect he has concerns regarding my safety."

Rose licked at her lip. "Then we need to let him know you're okay. The Doctor doesn't handle it well when someone he cares about is in danger." Her eyes shot wide at the arrival to the scene of a beautiful ginger-haired woman who obviously had eyes for the Doctor. "Who is _she_?"

"Oh by Rassilon," Mother moaned. "This is not good at all. Eskinda Durunal, eldest daughter to President Araime Durunal of Theonope." She gave a hard swallow. "She and my son, they had a minor _flirtation_ about three centuries ago. She took their flirtation as something more than it was and approached his father and myself to arrange for an official betrothal ceremony, which we refused. We had no reason to enter into any political relations, and my son certainly didn't wish to _settle down_."

"Three centuries and she still holds a torch for him," Rose snarked. She flicked her hand to Wilson. "Give me your gun."

Wilson jogged toward them. He took a second to peer around the corner, and then snorted in her ear as he took in the image of the Doctor looking quite flustered as he moved through a rather stumbled round of vocal gymnastics. "What is it about that guy?"

She slapped his chest with the back of her hand. "Gun. Now."

"You're not going to shoot her, Rose. Come on," he pleaded. "Give the man the benefit of the doubt here and let him talk his way out of it." He gasped and pointed to the scene. "Listen. _Betrothed_. He just told the girl he's a taken man. All good. No need to shoot a bloody alien political brat and bring about war on Earth."

"I said _gun_. That's an _order_."

Wilson used both hands to hand over his weapon, and immediately backed off to stand on the other side of the doorway from the girls. He offered a last glare as he dropped into a crouch to become the bottom of a totem pole of men peering around the corner into the room ahead of them.

Marissa watched with fascination as Rose pressed her backside into the wall and leaned down over the gigantic weapon given to her by Wilson. Rose pulled a small screwdriver from the pocket of her black fatigue pants and removed a small access panel from the side of the gun.

"May I ask what your plan is, child, and how familiar are you with that weapon to be tinkering with it in that manner?"

"Can you please keep an eye on the Doctor," she answered gruffly. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."

Marissa glanced over her shoulder as Rose switched wires and disconnected some completely. Her eyes widened with captivation as she began to see what the young human woman was doing. "Well. I can see why my son adores you in the way that he does. That is very devious. Very clever."

Rose locked the weapon between her knees as she continued to pull and tug, and reset wires. "I've learned from the best," she mused from around the screwdriver stuck between her teeth. She suddenly raised her eyes to the ceiling in concentration and muttered numbers in a whisper as she drew the screwdriver from her mouth.

"72540CV –dot – 648S – slash – 0," mother suggested with a smile. "That would be _my_ suggestion."

Rose gave a short laugh. "Oh yes. I like that. Perfect." She entered in the numbers provided by Marissa and then screwed the panel shut. She looked to the door. "So what's happening in there, right now?"

Erickson bit at his lip and shook his head with short movements. Roberts swallowed hard and lifted one side of his lip in a wince. Wilson dropped his forehead into his palm and moaned.

Marissa and Rose didn't like the look of that, and both slid an eye around the corner of the door. The vision of a gorgeous _ginger_ with her lips locked onto the Doctor's mouth drew a disgusted growl from the chest of Rose Tyler. "Oh. No. You. Don't," she snarled.

Wilson, Roberts and Erickson immediately peeled off the wall and checked their weapons. Wilson moved to Rose's side and flicked his hand in an order for the other two to join them. "Let's back her up, guys."

Marissa leaned down to Rose and whispered a dark challenge in her ear. "Time to stake your claim to that which is yours, Child."

Rose took three large strides into the room. She raised her weapon to her target and flicked a switch on its side to allow it to very loudly charge up for use. She planted her feet firmly and looked along the barrel of the weapon. "Take your mouth off my Time Lord!"

Eskinda immediately tore her mouth from the Doctor's and spun toward the source of the heated demand. "And just who do you think…" Her words caught in her throat at the sight of a gun the size of a cannon aimed in her direction. "Who are you?"

The Doctor's mouth hung wide as he took in the more panoramic view of events. A Five-person team, standing in a perfect V-Formation. Rose – his beautiful, and obviously pissed off, Rose – front and centre with her gun trained on the Presidential daughter. Flanked to her right, and just a few steps back was the soldier he knew as Wilson. Beside him, with a small weapon in her hand…

His entire expression lengthened in complete relief and shock.

His mother. The Doctor's mother, in her Time Lord robed glory. Safe. _Well_ , as safe as she could be given the current circumstance.

He mouthed her title and a query to her condition, ready to run to her aid if she needed his assistance. He was relieved to receive a smile and a wink from her direction, and so with that, he turned his focus to Eskinda and Rose.

"Reason 57 as to why going back on my own timeline to avoid this evening is worth a paradox," he muttered to himself as he stepped toward Rose.

"Rose," he called with a playful smile. "Honey. This isn't at all what it looks like."

"Of course not," she snapped sarcastically as she juggled the weapon for comfort. "She just _fell_ onto your mouth and the resulting gasp of embarrassment from both parties caused vapour lock, am I right."

He had to admit. That was a pretty good comeback.

Eskinda was less impressed. "And just who is this _woman_ who claims a right to you, Doctor?"

The Doctor scratched sheepishly a the back of his head. "That would be Rose, my blushing bride to be." His brows creased together. "Who is probably a little more territorial than I expected her to be."

"Wolves are very territorial," she responded with a slide of her darkest glare toward the Doctor. "Especially of its mate, which this female has decided to try to claim for herself." Her eyes slid back to Eskinda if only to prevent herself from busting with laughter if she kept looking at the Doctor and his somewhat panicked expression. "And now. To you."

The Doctor looked momentarily panicked. "You can put the gun down, Rose."

"No. That won't be happening any time soon," she growled. Her full attention settled on Eskinda. "Under section 2, sub section 43B, article 3 of the Theonope Family Law, passed on the day of the ascension to power of his Excellency President Araime Durunal, seeking the affections of another who has clearly stated to be betrothed to another is a crime punishable by detainment in a criminal housing facility for no less than 90 days."

"What," Eskinda spluttered.

"What?" The Doctor managed in much the same manner. "How in Rassilon did you know _that_?"

"I spent some time in the high courts of Theonope," Rose answered dryly.

"Not for _that_ reason, you didn't."

"Further to that article," Rose continued. "Unwarranted and forced advances of an otherwise unavailable individual who has not only stated quite clearly their betrothal, but expresses a non-desire to engage in affectionate behavior, is a crime punishable up to and including death, the punishment to be decreed on an incident by incident basis."

"And are you to be my juror, then, _human_?"

"Ye-p," Rose answered with a loud pop of the P and an evil smile.

"Come on now," the Doctor interrupted gently. "That's not the law, Rose. While I admire your improvisational skills more than I probably should – you know how I feel about.."

"No. She's right," Asteon chirped in with an impressed air. "Our President doesn't take lightly to such matters since his first wife played around on him back before he took power. What your Rose says is word-perfect."

"It _is_?"

"And as the woman who is your betrothed, the punishment is hers to decree," he added with a shrug.

"Rose," the Doctor warned sharply. "Don't do this. It isn't worth it." He moved to step in front of Eskinda, but was halted by Rose shifting the aim of the weapon toward him.

"She had her tongue in _your_ mouth, Doctor," she challenged. "You didn't seem to want to tear yourself away like you would have if I'd gone for that kiss twelve months ago. I'd tread carefully if I were you."

"Rose!"

Eskinda noted a slight moment of victory. "Then there was no protest from him for you to warrant such punishment, was there?"

Rose rolled her eyes and hauled her gigantic gun through the air toward Eskinda. "Oh I've had enough of you," she snarled as she pulled back on the trigger and fired a line of blue light toward the President's daughter.

Eskinda disappeared inside of blue light and a frightened scream.

Rose dropped the nose of the gun to the floor and pressed it into the ground with a lean. "Damn this thing is heavy."

The Doctor was completely aghast. "Rose!" He yelled as he circled the area that Eskinda had occupied only seconds earlier. "What did you do?" His eyes shot up to her. "Do you have any idea what you've done; what kind of repercussions can come of this?"

She filled her cheeks with air and rolled her eyes with a shrug. "Well…"

"This is so brilliantly bad," he continued as he paced. "How are we going to explain this; that my fiancee killed President Durunal's daughter in a fit of jealousy?"

Rose leaned her chin on the end of the gun and watched tiredly as the Doctor continued to pace. "Doctor?"

He spun on her. "Rose. How could you even begin to think that I would be in any way okay with this? You know how I feel about," he swirled his hand in the air to indicate her weapon. "How I feel about _shooting_ people?"

"You're okay with teleportation, though, yes?"

"Of course I am," he snapped.

"Good," she cooed. "So then come here. Give me one of your _it’s so good to see you_ hugs, and then we can set about trying to get this ship back home to where it belongs." She looked at her watch. "Roberts was able to buy us some extra time up here, and I would really love one of those _everyone survived_ missions for once. Wouldn't you?"

His brow flicked. "Teleport," he remarked on a dry and cracked voice.

"Yes," Rose answered with a smile. "I was able to reroute the bypass the of main Xion Crystal energy of the gun to power a teleport stream instead of a stun or phaser." She kept her chin on the gun but twisted her gaze to look at the Time Lady off to her side. "Using the coordinates suggested by your Mother, I was able to create a teleport directly to the holding cell that we found her being held in."

" _You_ did that?" His voice was full of awe. "I didn't know that you even knew how."

"Neither did I," she answered with a grin as she straightened up, blew on her fingernails and rubbed them on her chest. "But, clever me, right?"

The Doctor scooped her up into a tight hug and purred against her ear. "My brilliant Rose."

Her grin was almost painful as she allowed herself a moment to enjoy the embrace. She looked over his shoulder and gasped as she struggled away from him. "What the hell is Marcus' daughter doing here," she demanded.

"Oh," he answered. "She was working in the store you sent me to and got beamed up here at the same time I did. She was scared, so she came along with me."

"Marcus will skin you alive, Doctor," she panted worriedly.

Jane arrogantly folded her arms across her chest and slouched her hip to one side. "He can be angry all he wants. I don't care." She looked adoringly at the Doctor. "He cares about me more than my Dad does. Dad's always at work or on the phone talking about work." She strode to the gawking soldiers with the typical air of a brat teen girl, muttering under her breath.

Rose pressed her finger to her lips as she watched the teen stalk off. "Yeah. Okay. So. You have an admirer, Doctor. Be careful, yeah?" She swallowed. "Teenage girls can tell pretty vivid tales, you know."

He nodded. "Yes."

"So," Rose said with cheer to break the moment. She clapped, and then rubbed her hands together. "How about you go give your mum a big hug, tell her you love her and it's really good to see her, while I look into doing some jiggery pokery around this console." She cupped her chin with her hand and looked through the mess of the command room. Her voice fell to distracted mumbling to herself. "In order to utilize temporal fusion to close the dimensional rift, I'm going to have to locate that pesky Space Time Warping Template. Where to find that in a destroyed Type 51 is a bit of a thinker." She suddenly turned on the spot. "Doctor, I don't think we have enough power to get them through the rift and then back to Theonope. What are your chances of trying to create a hypercube to let the Doctor of the next parallel know we need his help?"

His jaw was long and gaped. His eyes wide.

"Doctor?"

He shook himself. "Oh. Yes. I can put something together right smart." His eyes narrowed slightly in query. He spoke cautiously. "I was thinking that we could make use of sub-routine Sigma 9 to power them across the rift. What do _you_ think?"

"Ooh," she sang. "Great idea. Will probably lose part of the ship, however, but if we can bypass the automatic jettison protocols, we can select which sections of the ship we lose instead of the random selection of the TARDIS."

"Yes. Quite right." The Doctor stuck his tongue in his cheek and had his eyes rolled high as he slowly turned toward his mother. He took in a breath and lowered his eyes to her.

"Oh," he breathed lightly. "I think that you and I are going to have a little, tiny, bit of a discussion about …" he swirled his finger in the air and then pointed to Rose. "About why my non-Time Lord girlfriend all of a sudden knows so many intimate details about Time Lord Technology."

Marissa leaned forward. "Because she is _brilliant,_ my son."

"Yes she is. As are you," he breathed accusingly even as he leaned down to kiss her cheek. "It's good to see you again."

"And you, my son."

The doctor clapped his hands. "Right-Oh. Let's see about getting these fine people back to their side of the dimensional wall and then home." He looked to Asteon. "Old Friend. Could you please arrange to have the Human visitors brought up to the main deck? We're going to have to leave quick-smart once we set these controls in place, and it would just make it that little bit easier if I didn't have to go running through corridors to find them."

Asteon gave a light bow. "Of course, Doctor." He passed by the Doctor's mother and paused to take her hand in his and press a kiss against her knuckles. "As always, my Lady, you have provided us with a fine adventure." He grinned against her knuckles. "Your identity should have been clear to me from the start. It has your time signature all over it."

"It is with my humblest apologies that you were inconvenienced, Asteon. I hope that you understand it was at Rassilon's decree that these events were to take place."

"I imagine so," he cooed softly. "And, as ever, should you ever decide that your loomling's father is no longer the Lord for you…"

"I will let you know," she laughed. "But know that I will always love and honour my husband until my passing day."

The Doctor watched his friend out of the corner of his eye as he put together the message cube for his brother across the parallel. "What were you saying, Rose, about Theonope Family Law? Is there anything about hitting on someone's mother?"

His mother took position beside him and stroked reassuringly at his arm. "It is just playful banter, my son. Nothing more."

The Doctor rolled his eyes.

Marissa rolled up the sleeves of her robe. "And so. To return this ship to its original path. How may I be of assistance? And before you argue with me, young Lord, just remember that three Time Lord minds are better than two."

~~oooOOOooo~~

Ten minutes later, and the team of Rose, Mother and the Doctor felt sure that they had done enough _jiggery-pokery_ to be able to power the ship across the breach. Rose was still underneath the main console as the Doctor spun the hypercube on his finger, and then launched it baseball-pitch style into the air.

"Go find that brother of mine," he hollered after it. "And give him the _full_ message will you, no truncating it to what you think is best said." He shrugged at Rose's eye peeking out through wiring at him. "I had a few things I wanted to say, and this is the only chance that I'm going to get to do it."

Rose wriggled out from under the console and remained lying on the ground as she folded her arms across her chest and looked up at him. "I hope that you played nice."

He pressed one hand into the countertop to loom over her. "I merely sent a message of thanks. Thanks for leaving me here in a parallel world with nothing, but with everything at the same time. We're happy. I'm happy. You're happy. We're in love. We'll be undertaking the marital bonding ceremony in the very near future. He's not invited, or he can be and can go pout in the corner. And one day we're going to have a tribe of loomlings or womb-born children that we won't be naming after him."

She held up her hand to ask his assistance in pulling her to her feet. "If your mum doesn't give you a clip around the ear for that, I will."

"Please," he said as he pulled her to her feet. "I just advised of the situation and that he was required for assistance of a disabled ship stuck out of time. Honest." He looked to the console. "And how are we looking, ladies?"

"All good here," Rose said with a proud smile. "The Space Time Warp Template is programmed, and the jettison protocols modified to retain as much as the ship as possible."

Marissa wiped at her brow. "I have the artron energy moving through the 2LO Energy Distributor, and have bypassed the feed into the transpower system of this ship."

The Doctor was impressed. "My very clever ladies. Brilliant! You're both just brilliant."

His mother sighed with a smile. "Of course we are, my son. We are two Ladies of Time, of course we are brilliant."

"Pardon me? Two _what_?"

"Not all brilliant news from me, though." Rose leaned against the console and wiped her hand on her thighs. "The Dynamorphic Generators are set not to exceed 1000 Omegas, and we need more power than that for a ship this size. The damage to the generators means that I can't attempt to bypass those protocols. However, I was able to rewire the Matrix to have the TARDIS divert all power to this ship's drive systems. Problem is, the power levels have to be monitored until the moment of breach."

The Doctor leaned down once more to his mother. "Oh yes. A discussion when we're on the ground. You and me. We need to talk. At great length." He gave a wide grin to his beloved. "So. That means you return to Torchwood with Mother and your team, and the hostages, and I can handle the tricky stuff up here and meet you on the ground, say, in ten minutes and we can head out for Chips?"

Rose pressed her lips together and shook her head. "Nope," a pop of the P. "This time you're heading back and I'm finalizing the dimensional jump. After all – and I'm thrilled that I can _actually_ say this – because I have more dimensional jump experience than you do."

His face fell. "No. That isn't how it goes."

"If we were facing a time maneouvre, or blasting the craft into our own space and universe, then you have at her. This one's mine." She was perfectly thrilled about it. "I'll be down in a jiffy, Doctor. I promise you."

He cleared his throat. "And now it becomes clear, and I see it."

"What's that?"

"How it feels to be the one who gets sent away." He frowned. He didn't like that feeling. "No. We can do it together, jump us all home at the same time. Noone left behind."

"Too risky for a multi-person leap when we get into max power." She looked to Marissa for assistance. "And besides. I think mum over there needs a checkup to make sure that she's in fine health and fitness after her scary incarceration."

Initially ready to counter with a promise that she was perfectly fine, Mother caught Rose's pleading look and began to sway on her feet. "Oh yes. I think she's right, my Son. I am feeling rather listless and lightheaded."

He caught her as she gave an Oscar Winning dramatic fall with her forearm across her brow. "Mother, are you okay?"

"Get her home," Rose ordered. "You're the only one down there who knows Time Lord biology."

He knew full well that he was being played by both women – he was no fool – but he was willing to offer the benefit of the doubt and see just what his beautiful Rose was truly capable of. He knew that there was enough time between breach and closure that even if she couldn't make it back on her own, he could be on board with a transmat disk and have her back in a flash.

"Okay," he acquiesced as he snatched her into a hug. He pressed his lips to hers in a chaste kiss, drawing back with a loud smacking sound. "Good luck," he wished with his forehead against hers. "I'll be waiting for you."

"I love you," she promised. "Now scoot."

"I love you most," he said with a wink and click of air through his teeth as he strode toward the departing party. "Asteon, my old friend. Good luck to you. I wish you good speed and a bloody good retirement."

Asteon took the Doctor's hand to shake it firmly. "Thank you, my friend. My best to you and your lovely future wife, may you be blessed with a house full of loomlings as devilish as yourself."

The Doctor gathered the group and gave a two-fingered salute from his brow. "Until next time."

Rose leaned to the console to both activate the Sigma-9 protocol and activate the transmat beam. She waved to the party as they disappeared and held firm to the controls as the power to the TARDIS/Theonope hybrid craft increased to capacity. As she felt the stomach dropping sensation of a ship accelerating violently, a familiar wheeze and whine combination filled the air around her.

She watched with stinging eyes a blue box slowly materialize in front of her.

"Oh, hell," she moaned as the TARDIS solidified in front of her. "You're early."

 


	21. Closure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose and the Time Lord Doctor see each other for the first time since Bad Wolf Bay.

The Time Lord/Human group materialized in the Control Room of Torchwood inside a transparent dome of blue surrounded by forking deep blue tendrils of electricity. It took only a short moment for the energies to dissipate, and each Torchwood member immediately moved from the circle toward communications and surveillance stations.

The room was oddly clear of staff, with only Pete Tyler and Spencer present in the room. It was Pete Tyler who noticed there was a member missing.

"Where's Rose," he demanded hotly as the Doctor shot by him to access a monitoring console. He fell so heavily into the chair that it rolled partway from the keyboard on two wheels.

The Doctor grabbed at the table edge to drag himself back into position. He quickly moved his fingers across the keyboard to initialize contact with the Theonope craft.

"She'll be right down," he answered in a voice holding far less worry than he was experiencing. "Just had a bit of Timey Wimey stuff to deal with."

"And you just _left_ her there?"

"No choice," he growled. He cupped at his chin as the contact bridge was established and he could view the ship's systems and security data. He let his head drop down into the space between his arms as the read-out showed an additional Artron energy signature. "Good. He's there."

"Who?" Spencer asked cautiously as he noted a slight shift in the Doctor's body language. It was a shift that didn’t exactly exude positivity. “Who’s there?”

"The Doctor," he answered with a sniff. He pushed his hands into the countertop to push himself to a stand. "The _other_ Doctor."

Pete noted the shaking manner in which The Doctor stood and set his hand on his shoulder to though offer support. "Are you okay with that?"

He nodded, but kept his head down. "It was intentional, I assure you. I made sure that he'd be there before Rose had a chance to get back." He gulped a heavy breath of air and wiped at his nose with the back of his hand. He straightened with a creased face and gasped to centre himself.

“Why would you do that,” Pete queried cautiously. “I though that’d be the last thing you’d want.”

“What I want, and what Rose needs, are two different things,” The Doctor grumbled. “He left her, and he needs to answer to her for it. This will probably be the only opportunity for that to happen so I’m giving it to her.” His eyes opened wide as he scratched at his sideburn and let out a breath. "So. Right," he said with a swallow as he switched from worry to business. "So. Let's get the debriefing done so we can get our new friends home safe and sound."

Neither Spencer nor Pete bought into his calm for a second. Pete pointed a finger to Spencer. "Monitor those readings. I want to know the instant we have verification that the Ship has left our dimension and that Rose has left the ship."

"On it, Boss man," Spencer chirped as he wheeled on his chair toward the desk, pushing the chair that the Doctor had vacated seconds earlier out of the way.

Pete vaguely noticed the approach of a woman dressed in a robe as he stood like a looming guard beside the lightly slouching Doctor. "Are you sure you know what you're doing, Doctor?"

"It's better her than me," he answered on an unsure voice. He looked down his arm when he felt his Mother's light touch. “Oh. I hope I'm doing the right thing."

"Believe in her, my son," she said softly. "Her hearts, they belong to you."

He wiped his hand down his face and shuddered a breath.

_But you’re still you._

_And I’m him._

"That's what I'm worried about."

Pete cast a wary glance toward the woman in the regal wear. "My _Son_?"

The Doctor didn't raise his eyes, but he swept his hand between Pete, on his left, and his mother, on his right. "Pete, this is my Mother. Mother, this is Pete. Rose's father."

Marissa politely acknowledged the introduction with a dip of her head and a warm smile of greeting. "I look forward to the moment where we can meet as parents to our beautiful children and discuss their future as a bonded couple."

"Uh, yeah. You too," Peter answered gruffly, more in confusion than being deliberately rude. He leaned down to the Doctor. "And I'm looking forward to some explanations."

"Yeah," he managed through tacky lips. "Me too."

Marissa stroked at her son's arm, feeling pained at his sudden and worrying desperation. "She will return to you, my Son."

He turned his head away from her with the intent to shield her from his grief at the thought of Rose potentially running off with the other Doctor.

"You will not look away from me, young Lord," she demanded sharply. Her expression softened quickly as she coaxed his face to hers. "You will not distrust her, do you hear me? Think. And think hard. If there is one thing that you know you can believe in. One thing throughout all of space and time that know you can trust. One thing. What is it?"

“Her.” His panic moved to confidence. "I believe in _her_ – in _us."_

~~ooOOOooo~~

Rose's hands held firm on the power dampening lever as the TARDIS materialized about ten feet off to her left. She winced with effort as the lever fought against her hold in a demand from the Matrix to allow access to the main drives. She couldn't release the full power just yet. They hadn't yet made it to the breach and she needed to hold that final thrust until just the right moment.

"Asteon," she called desperately as she tried to ignore the telltale creak of the TARDIS door over the top of the straining engines. "Please help me with this. The artron energy bypass is slipping, I have to reset the Energy Distributor, or the feed into the transpower system will fail. I need you to secure the dampener until I can make the fix."

A figure moved quickly into the trouble area, and armed with a green-lit sonic screwdriver, artfully, calmly, made the necessary repairs to the bypass. He lifted his eyes to look at her across the console through a floppy, side swept fringe. "Hello Rose. Long time no see."

"You are a _Time_ Lord," she gritted through her teeth. "Why can't you ever make it on time at the _right_ time."

His brows creased in puzzlement. "But I am on time," he clarified. "As per the time coordinates provided in the hypercube message."

"You're ten minutes early." She blew out a breath as she monitored the power data to pick the precise moment to give this ship all it had. "I should have been long gone before you showed up."

" _Oh_ ," he breathed with high brows and a lick at his lip. "I see. I suppose that my _brother_ – as he appears to have taken to calling me – didn't fully advise you of the message content."

"Unless the cube contained something other than him announcing our engagement and how you may or may not come and how none of our kids are going to be named after you, then no. I wasn't exactly briefed. We were all kinds of busy at the time." She flicked her chin to him and looked at a handle in front of him. "Can you do me a favour right now and hold on to something?"

"Swift change in topic."

"Necessary change," she grunted. "Full thrust in 3. 2. 1."

She shoved the lever down and the ship lurched violently forward. The force of the pull of acceleration threw The Doctor against the console and sent Rose tumbling backward. She squeaked as she collided with someone behind her, and made fast apologies as she scrambled off them. "I'm so sorry about that. I really wasn't sure which direction the ship was going to go in."

The redheaded girl on the ground gave a rueful smile and held up her hand to ask to be assisted to her feet. "It's okay. Not like I haven't been tossed about like this more than once." She held out her hand. "I'm Amy, by the way." She flicked a look to the console. "I'm travelling with the Doctor – who you seem to already know."

"Good to meet you. I'm Rose. Rose Tyler." Rose set her hands on her hips and twisted her trunk to look down her shoulder at the Doctor and his slouched stance at the console. "Well. It's clear that you have a thing for Gingers, Doctor." She pulled her long pony tail around to inspect the colour. "No wonder I ended up on the beach. And here I was thinking that blondes had all the fun."

The Doctor walked around the console and dipped his head to regard her with a weary look. "Tell me that we aren't going to do this, Rose." He shook his head. "Of all discussions we can have please not _this_."

"What," she challenged playfully with a tongue in her teeth smile. "You don’t want me to get all testy because you left me on a deserted beach in Norway in a parallel world with your apparently evil battle born brother without so much as a _good bye_?"

That made him smirk slightly. "Well, Rose Tyler. You were making out on the beach with my _brother_. And I thought it would be rude to interrupt." He shrugged and looked away a moment. "I was only being polite in giving you your space to continue with your fornication."

"Fornication? Really," she breathed with pursed lips and a nod. Slowly she looked through her lashes at him. "And with that defense you expect me to just smile, say _oh jolly good then_ , _all’s forgiven so_ _now come and give me a hug you beautifully daft floppy haired alien jerk_?"

"That would be preferable, although can we lose the _jerk_?" With that he smiled an inviting grin and opened his arms to her. "Come here."

Rose launched from where she stood and threw herself into a familiar, yet unfamiliar embrace. His smell was the same, as was the beating of his hearts against her ear, so she closed her eyes to imagine Doctor of Ten holding her tight. "I've missed you, Doctor."

His arms snapped tightly around her and he nestled his cheek against her hair. "You too, Rose." He pulled back and looked down into her eyes. He stroked his hand along her cheek. "I had forgotten just how much I." He paused just short of finishing his thought. He cleared his throat. "Yes. Very good to see you."

Rose rolled her eyes and shook her head as she pulled back from him. "Still can't voice it, yeah?"

He cleared his throat. "Voice what?"

"Never mind," she said on a sigh. She looked to Amy. "You would think that with age and regenerations he might mellow the hell out a bit and, oh, I don't know, admit things." She looked down her shoulder at him. " _Act_ on things."

His head remained dipped and his expression hidden behind his floppy fringe. "Are you suggesting that you want me to _act_ on something?"

She raised her hands quickly and backed off a step. "No. No. I'm perfectly okay with you not _acting_ on anything right now."

"And if I did?" His voice was husky and his brow high.

 _That_ was a challenge that caught her off guard.

"What?"

Amy raised her hand lightly. "You know. Not that I'm not enjoying watching raggedy man here get all uncomfortable in the presence of what I can only imagine is an ex-girlfriend…"

" _Not_ girlfriend," both The Doctor and Rose injected simultaneously.

"Well, me thinks thou doth protest too much," Amy snickered. "So." Her eyes flared momentarily in tease. " _Not_ girlfriend/boyfriend, my arse." She pointed sharply at The Doctor. "I saw those arms of yours snap around her and latch on tight. No denying that there's _something_ …"

“We were _more_ than…”        

"I’m just a former companion," Rose interrupted quickly. "Me and him," she paused and raised a brow at his very different face. "Okay, me and him number Nine and Ten. We travelled together for a bit."

"Until he dumped you on a deserted beach in Norway with his brother," Amy finished. "Yes. I got that much. Classy move, Doctor."

"And let me guess,” she began with a rather terse look toward the Doctor. “No mention of me at all, right?"

Amy wasn't quite sure of the best way to answer that question. Telling the truth would very likely get the Doctor in to trouble. She cleared her throat against her fist. "So. Nine and Ten. And he has a _brother_?"

"Oh yes. And his brother is quite dashing," Rose chuckled as she slid toward Amy and pulled out her cell phone. "Actually he’s gorgeous. Want to see pictures of them?" She winked across at him. "He just _loves_ it when you make comparisons between his former and current selves."

"No, actually I don't."

"Oh, of course you do." She held the phone to Amy. "Go on. Take a look." She thumbed toward the TARDIS. "I'm just going to go say hello to the old girl and pick up a few things that I left behind." She looked at her watch. "Walls will close in ten, so I've got time."

The Doctor watched her leap over some fallen debris to head toward the open door of the TARDIS. He didn't hesitate in following her through the door and into the console room, where she had skidded to a stop with a pained look on her face.

"She looks so different," Rose whimpered sadly. "I don't recognize any part of her."

"Change was necessary," he said softly. "My last regeneration was rather explosive. She was close to completely destroyed."

She turned her head to speak over her shoulder to him. "Why's that?"

"I was alone and I just wasn’t ready to go," he admitted. "Vanity, I suppose. I did rather fancy how I looked in that incarnation." He adjusted his bowtie and ran his hair through his bangs. "That isn't to say that I'm not _happy_ with my appearance this time around. Much younger."

Rose just nodded quietly as she ran her fingertips along the new console. "Hello sweetheart. Miss me?" She leaned down to press a light kiss into the console, which drew very high brows from the Doctor. "I've missed you, old girl. I hope he's treating you right."

"Of course I treat her right," he snapped defensively.

"You used to beat her with a rubber mallet," Rose argued. "My poor girl. No wonder she got testy with you sometimes."

"Here. She's _my_ girl." He strode toward her and pressed his finger to her chest. "I think that you have a very unhealthy relationship with my ship."

"And you don't?"

"She and I are connected," he argued as he tapped his temple.

"And for a moment in time she and I were joined as one," she answered with an adoring look toward the console. "Do you remember?"

"I'm not ever going to forget it," he admitted.

"No," she sighed. "Neither am I." She gave a coy smile. "You died for me that day." She then blinked and looked away from him. "If I believed for a single moment that you had a romantic bone in your body, I might think you fancied me a little."

He looked at her with a raised brow. Her tongue was seated in her cheek, and her jaw stretched behind her closed mouth in her classic tell that she was looking for him to say something _anything_ that could be construed as a compliment. "You really do want to hear me say it, don't you?"

She pressed her lips together and shook her head. "Not anymore." She looked at him through her lashes. "There once was a time that it was the only thing in the universe that I wanted to hear," she admitted. Then she shook her head and looked down to where her finger was picking at a spot on the console. "I wanted to hear it. I _needed_ to hear it."

"I didn't think it was that important to you, Rose," he said as one of his brows fell apologetically. "I thought it went without saying."

"But did you," she asked meekly. "Did you love me?"

"I still do."

She sniffed back tears. "You're not allowed to admit that now."

"But you asked."

"And you're supposed to lie," she growled. She took a moment to steady herself and looked at him with red eyes. "I'm Time Lady now, apparently."

He exhaled a breath and nodded. "I know."

"How?"

He tapped at his head with his index finger. "I can feel it. Up here." He shrugged. "Add to that how well you knew the TARDIS system. It wasn't difficult to determine where the tickle in my mind was coming from."

"And the remnants of the Type-51 TARDIS didn't lead you to think that there was a Lord on board from Gallifrey?"

"You just called it the Type-51," he remarked with a smile and a wink as he drew his thumb along her cheek. "And considering most of the production run was scrapped, and…?"

She shot him a look of pure question. "And what?"

"You tell me," he said with a waggling brow of encouragement.

Her jaw fell as recognition of his familiar face fell upon her. "Oh are you kidding me?"

"Well no I wasn't," He muttered. "I honestly thought you'd be able to finish that."

"Well, yes. I can," she said with a fast roll of her eyes. "The Type-51 TARDIS production run was scrapped and the remaining crafts removed from the registry. Some reports suggest that the Celestial Intelligence Agency Interventionists utilized the unregistered TARDIS machines, though Rassilon only knows why, as they were a desperately unreliable machine prone to throwing temper tantrums not even a two year old is capable of." She poked a finger into his chest, not at all amused by his giggle from being tickled. "I'm not all creeped out by _that_." She reconsidered that statement. "Okay, maybe I am. A little bit. But oh…"

The light went off in his mind and he winced with a duck of his head as he waited for it. "Yeah. I forgot about that."

"Professor Noble!"

"Now. Rose. I can explain that."

She backed up. A Mixed emotion of disgust, horror and amusement shot through her chest. "You tutored me for my full grade ten year in science!"

"And you got an A-minus," he said proudly. "I _knew_ you were brilliant. You just needed that little bit of one-on-one guidance to get you there."

"I don't know if that's just plain creepy or completely romantic that you would go back into my timeline and do that."

"I didn't lie to you when I said I missed you," he admitted. "In fact," he said with a meek smile. "You're probably one of the very few people I haven't routinely lied to."

"Oh, I can't wait to tell The Doctor this," she giggled with her hand over her mouth. "He's going to get a real kick out of that."

"You don't have to tell him," The Doctor mumbled as he leaned his butt on the console edge and folded his arms across his chest.

"Yeah, I do." She rubbed his arm. "But thank you. Really."

He took her hand in his. "The wall is closing soon, so I want to ask you one last question before you leave."

"Sure."

"If I asked you to, would you stay with me?" His eyes were pleading. "Stay with me here, on the TARDIS, with that promise of forever?"

She stepped into the space between his parted legs and set her hands on his knees. She rolled up onto her toes and pressed a soft and lingering kiss on his mouth. It surprised her to feel his hands settle on her waist to pull her ever so slightly closer to him. She breathed a soft mewl as she pulled lightly back from him. "There was a time," she breathed with her lips only a millimeter from his. "That I would have moved heaven and earth to give you every single second of my forever."

His eyes were closed as he let his lips brush across hers as he spoke. "But not now? Even if I spoke those words you want me to say?"

She pressed her finger against his lips and then pressed her lips against her finger as thought to keep a barrier between their mouths. "My _forever_ , however many centuries I have of it, belong to him now." She opened her eyes to look upon his closed eyelids. Her lips remained on the finger held against his mouth. "I love him, Doctor. He loves me. He loves me so much."

He ran his hands up and down her sides and lightly pushed her from him. He didn't release her waist from his hands. "Remember that those feelings he has are also mine."

"But he has never been too proud or too scared to tell me." She held his hands. "He tells me every day. He shows me how he feels. He proves it in ways I didn't' even think were possible."

"Then make sure he continues to tell you and prove how much you mean to him," he cupped the back of her head and drew her forehead to press against his. "Make sure he always lets you know that you're the most important person in the universe to him."

"I don't need to…"

"If he ever lets you down, Rose. Promise me that you'll find me. Let me know." He pressed his forehead harder against hers. Unbidden passion from within him stirred to the surface. "Because I promise you. I will tear down the walls of the universe to come for you. I can. I _will_ be brave for you, Rose. I will."

She hooked her hand around his wrist and took his hand from the back of her head. "You're three years too late to make that promise, Doctor."

"It's never too late," he said with a sloppy and sorrowful smile. "Not for a Time Lord."

She slid her hand down the lapel of his jacket and threaded her hand underneath. The movement made him close his eyes and tremble. "Rose," he shuddered out as his hold on her waist tightened.

"Down boy," she giggled as she drew his sonic screwdriver from his pocket, along with the psychic paper wallet. She held them up to him as he opened his eyes. "A gift to your brother, yes?"

He rolled his eyes and looked back to the TARDIS console. "Okay, my sexy ship," he purred to the ship with a wink to Rose. "You have _his_ sonic, right?" He pointed at the one she held in her hand. "Because I need _that_ one."

The console opened up and the Screwdriver wielded by the Tenth Doctor rose up on a small cradle. The Doctor picked it up and eyed it with an unimpressed look before handing it over. "Here you go. Tell him to be careful with it, because it took some TARDIS brilliance to get that thing operational again after I. _Well_."

"You broke it," she laughed.

"Maybe a little." He pulled up from the console and gave her a hug. "Good luck, Rose. While I may continually say that we're saying good bye forever, it appears that our paths are always destined to cross. No goodbye this time."

A lens click had Rose immediately pull away from the Doctor with a gasp. Amy gave a laugh and tossed the phone to Rose. She walked to stand beside the Doctor against the console. "A momento for you to show Raggedy Man’s brother that he was making moves on his girl."

Rose raised her chin and laughed. "Even if we had CCT footage and Rassilon himself making that claim, he wouldn't believe it."

"I wouldn't be so sure," The Doctor countered. "He and I both possess quite an irrational jealous streak."

Amy and rose shared a look, and then both burst into laughter. "Yeah. _That_ is something we'd love to see."

He grinned a one sided evil smirk. “I’ll bet that he’s having a wild tantrum-worthy fit right now all worried about what you and I are up to.”

Rose laughed. “Oh yeah. Because you and I routinely got up to all sorts of racy activities when you actually had your chance to.” She rolled her eyes and laughed. “He knows you better than that.”

“Yes, Rose,’ he agreed with a lick at his lip and a rather sleezy waggle of his brow. “He knows me _very_ well.”

Amy looked horrified. “Oh, I don’t want to know. I really don’t want to know what that was supposed to mean.”

Rose leaned back toward Amy and kept a judgmental eye on the man in front of her. She lowered her voice in a rather conspiratorial manner. “I think he’s trying to infer that he isn’t as asexual as we think he is.”

“I’m not fooled for a second.”

“And on that delightful note. Time’s up, I gotto go.” She held out her hand to Amy. “It was a pleasure to meet you. Look after this daft alien and don’t let him get himself into too much trouble.”

“You’re leaving?” Amy whined. “Already? But we just got here. We have stories to share and embarrassment to inflict.”

“Wall’s are closing,” Rose said with a smile. “And I promised that wonderful man on the other side of that wall that I’d come home to him.”

“Stay with us,” the Doctor offered gently. “Or at least come with us on a trip or two. Time machine, remember, I can have you back in time to make it through before the breech closes.”

“I don’t trust your piloting skills enough to risk it,” she answered back with a wink. “But thanks for the offer.” She hooked her arm around Amy to bring them all together as a group. She snuggled in as she held her phone up. "Selfie," she chirped as she leaned closer against the Doctor and Amy. She snapped the candid photograph as the Doctor mischieviously pressed his lips against her cheek, winked at the camera and held his fingers as bunny ears behind Amy's head. She spun and stepped back to take a much nicer one of him with the hope to give it to his Mother.

Rose dropped into a crouch to pick up her bag and waved to The Doctor and Amy. "Flick that switch, Time Boy and send me back home to my Time Lord."

He shook his head with a smile and leaned back to activate the transmat beam from the TARDIS to send her home. "Until we meet again, my sweet Rose," he called as she blew him a kiss and disappeared from the TARDIS. His smile fell and he blew back a kiss into the now empty space.

"Rose Tyler.  I love you."

 


	22. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose returns home to her Doctor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Contains a bit of a love scene at the end of this chapter. Not explicit nor terribly smutty (I am actually terrible at writing those scenes so I try not to), but there are descriptives of Time Lord love, so be warned.

"The ship is accelerating rapidly and is approaching the breach," Spencer called over his shoulder. "Judging by these readings, that thing's gotto be pulling about 30G's." He twisted in his chair and put his arm across the backrest to eyeball the trio behind him. "That's way beyond human tolerance levels, Doc."

Pete winced. The Doctor ran calculations in his mind. "With a ship that large, and provided the gravity stabilizers are fully functioning, Rose should be okay."

"And if they aren't, Doc?" Spencer was clearly concerned. "That's a sustained G-pull, which is non survivable at half that rate."

"Spencer," he managed. "Just stop. She's going to be fine. She and I, we've survived worse." There was a distinct crack in his voice, which didn't go unnoticed by anyone left in the command room. "And we still came out laughing."

"Don't worry about her, Son," Mother offered gently as she gave a light stroke of his arm.

He nodded inhaled a long and shaking breath through a gaped mouth. HE then shook his head. "I can't help it." He pressed his hands into the console and leaned heavily against them and then turned his head to look down his slumped shoulder toward his mother. "This is _it_ for me, isn't it?"

Pete chuckled knowingly. Mother simply looked confused. "I don't understand," she said with a frown.

"Meaning that he's done for. Life as he knew it is over." Pete advised as his hand came down on the Doctor's shoulder. "Love'll do that to any man – especially the great ones." He tightened his grip on the Doctor's shoulder. "Get yourself a jump pad, Doctor. Go up there and make sure she comes home, okay? I haven't told Jackie what's going on yet, and I really don't want to have to try and explain anything to her until we know Rose is home safe."

The Doctor pressed his lips tightly together and gave a firm nod. "Yes. You're right. I'll grab a pad and …"

"Not enough time," Spencer said in a half whimper and a shrink as though ready to dodge a smack across the head. "The Ship's moving at too high a velocity for us to be able to accurately set the jump coordinates. It'll be through the breach in ten seconds, and we don't have any active Dimension Canons." He peered meekly at the Doctor over his shoulder. "Rose had that project cancelled and all canons destroyed after the Reality Bomb incident. She's truly on her own up there."

Commonsense forbade him from mentioning that the _other_ Doctor was up there with her. No sense in making it worse. He was aware of the potential competition factor between brothers.

"But," Spencer managed. "On the bright side that breach is holding up."

The Doctor's face screwed up tight. "No," he growled as his fingers raked through his hair. "No. No." He began to pace. "She was supposed to jump back _before_ the ship got pulled through the breach. There's no way that the Torchwood jump pads can get her through the dimension breach. That's not in their design." He circled around as he scratched his hands in his hair. Think. Think!. He stood up straight, covered his mouth with one hand, then shook his head and went back to pacing.

"She is an intelligent child, my Son," his mother urged. "I am quite positive that she will find her way home to you."

"There's always the _other_ Doctor," Pete offered. "He seems pretty good at sending her every which way but the TARDIS. He'll get her home."

"Unless he's decided he's done with sending her away," The Doctor snapped in response. "I can tell you with all honesty that if I was in his place I'd hang on tight and never let go."

"Yeah, but you're. Well. You and Rose are together…"

"And in my messed up Time Lord head I thought we were back then, too," he moaned as he pressed the butts of both hands into his eyes and raised his head. "He'd probably still believe it. And if he gets even the slightest tickle of her new consciousness in the back of his mind…"

"Meaning what," Pete challenged gruffly.

He kept his eves covered with the heel of his hand. "Meaning she now has a true _forever_ to give him, and he'll take it." He sighed. "Rassilon, I would if I were him."

" _Ohhh_ , Doctor," Pete huffed dangerously. "I have a feeling that we are going to be one major kind of debrief happening when this is all over. Actually, I am going to insist on it."

The Doctor paid no mind to Pete as he tore his hands from his eyes and launched himself across the mezzanine flooring toward Spencer's station. "Spencer. Can you possibly isolate a scanner to read the dimensional disturbance around that breach?"

Spencer rolled his chair away from the keyboard and leaned awkwardly to pull another chair into the station. "Go right ahead, Doc. Not quite sure what you're looking for so it might be quicker if you take a go at it."

The Doctor didn't bother dropping down into the chair. He stood in a hunch over the keyboard as his fingers darted inhumanly fast across the keys to call up the necessary data. "I'm looking into the disturbance patterns around the breach," he instructed autonomously. "Depending on which side of the wall the breach happened, we could have a vacuum wavelength that I can hitch the jump pad off and get on board that ship." He blew out a breath. "The TARDIS can send us both back easily enough form there."

"Not completely reading you, Doc," Spencer commented quietly.

"Think of it as a decompression event in a commercial aircraft," he offered.

"Commercial aircraft," he queried. "The Zeppelin?"

The Doctor moaned even as he continued to calibrate the scanners. "Yes. That's right. Zeppelins. This planet sorely needs a Boeing Plant."

"Wha?"

The Doctor pressed his hands into the table and let his eyes flick along the data stream on the screen as the computer properly calibrated the programming. "You have a pressurized container. Blow a hole in it. What happens? Explosive decompression. Vacuum on one side of the breach, a bloody great wind storm on the other." His fingers drummed impatiently on the console. "Same kind of idea, just with, _well_ , without everything being sucked up into the atmosphere." His eyes locked on the screen. His body slumped and his head dropped at the final result.

It was the exact opposite of what he had hoped to find. She wouldn't be able to escape on her own.

"Why," he breathed on a low and disbelieving breath. " _Why_?"

"Oh no," Spencer muttered at the readings on a second monitor. "That wall's closing."

Pete noted a fast change in the Doctor's breathing and the slow clench of his fists on the counter. He moved to step forward, but was held back by Marissa holding her hand out in his path. She closed her eyes lightly shook her head. "Leave him."

From the corner of his eyes, Spencer noted the Time Lady's expression of warning. Silently he held his breath and rolled his chair backward away from the table. He did, however, lean forward to slide something rather expensive and breakable to within the Doctor's reach with the very tip of his finger.

Just an option if he was looking to break something.

He scrambled to a stand and scuffled back toward Pete Tyler and the Doctor's mother. His voice was a whisper as he kept his eyes on the Doctor and leaned into the pair on watch. "I'm guessing it's bad news?"

Mother nodded. "It was a long shot and he knew it. The breach was from the Prime Universe, which means that the wavelength pattern he was looking for is from that end – not ours." Her head lowered and her gaze locked upon her son as she watched his hands lock into white-knuckled fists on the counter. Her voice lowered to a whisper of warning. "Do you know why my son is known throughout the universe as the Oncoming Storm?"

"No."

She inhaled a breath and offered them a very wide eyed look of warning. "Yes. _Well_. Just wait."

The Doctor had his eyes closed, his head lilted to one side, and his hands in fists upon the table. Each slow and deep breath that he took seared at the inside of his chest. A low rumble began inside his belly and rattled up into his throat to expel from between his lips as an anguished cry of question to any and all deities listening.

"Why," he demanded as his fists gave a heavy thump on the desktop. "Why am I always destined to lose her on another side of a dimensional wall!" He slapped his palms on the table and shoved angrily at the computer keyboard, which threw papers into the air and knocked the monitors into a wobble and lean. "It's not fair!" He gave another sound that was indistinguishable between a garbled cough, a strangled sob, or a choked hiccup, and then dropped his elbows onto the table.

His mother watched in pain as her clearly distraught son leaned over the table, his head on the table, and his forearms up to embrace his head. He wasn't crying. He wasn't sobbing. He breathed in shaking and rattled breaths that continually asked _why_ and questioned the fairness of the universe.

"Doctor," she cooed in a gentle and motherly tone of voice. "My son, will you be alright?"

Initially, he shook his head which was still clutched tightly within the hold of his arms. After a second, however, he touched his hands to the table and pushed himself back up to a much more dignified lean against the counter. He exhaled though an open mouth.

"The wall has closed." He spoke in a very matter of fact, emotionless, and pointed manner. "She's gone."

"Oh hell, Doctor," Pete groused out. "I'm sorry."

The Doctor bit his lips together and slowly turned to the small group at his rear. There were two very distinct tear trails down his cheeks that he did not bother to wipe at. "I want all of the information related to the dimensional canon project."

Pete shook his head. "It was all destroyed."

"Retrieve it," he growled.

"It was cancelled at yours and Rose's request, Doctor," he warned, "because of the destruction it causes to the fabric of space."

"I know."

"But Doctor."

The Doctor very calmly licked at his lip and looked to the ground a moment. When he raised his eyes they were dark and threatening. "I don't think you understand the importance of my demand," he challenged. "Rose is out there, on the other side of a parallel wall. I don't care what damage the canons cause to space, time, and the universe. I don't care because I am prepared to tear this entire multiverse apart to get her back."

"And Jackie will rip it apart right along with you," Pete agreed with a nod. "Okay. Spencer. Find some way to get that information."

“On it.”

A rather annoyed female voice humphed in from the doorway. "You know. That man is a thousand year old Time Lord with at least eight hundred years of teleporting, time jumping, space travel, and controlling a TARDIS. You would _think_ by now that he would have enough experience and know how to get a girl back to _exactly_ where she wants to be instead of two blocks away!" She paused and pressed her finger thoughtfully to her lip. "Or he did it deliberately. I wouldn't put it past that sneaky alien."

The vacuum that the Doctor had been looking for suddenly appeared in the Command room through the mouths of several people; several people that did not include the distraught Time Lord. His reaction was to exhale her name along a whisper of disbelief.

Rose took no mind of the atmosphere, the expressions upon the faces of the people in the room, nor of the distressed and tear-streaked face of the man she loved. She didn't even see it. She merely strode toward the railing of the slightly elevated platform of which he stood and tossed a knapsack up to him with a heavy grunt of exertion.

The bag collided hard against his chest, and he spluttered a coughed exhale.

"The TARDIS packed you a bag," she began as she took a couple of steps backward. "At least I hope it was for you. It was just kind of there at my feet and so I grabbed it." She snorted. "Or maybe it's full of Amy's dirty knickers waiting for laundry day." She couldn't help but giggle at that thought.

The Doctor clutched the bag with a bear-like embrace as he watched Rose with eyes shining with disbelief that she was really standing there in front of him. "Rose?"

She held up the Sonic Screwdriver and posed a halfway teasing imitation of the Doctor and his beloved tool. "And look what he gave me to give to you. Your old Sonic Screwdriver." She looked down the length of her arm and pressed down on the button to activate Sonic. It was in the blue light that she finally took in his haunted and distressed look. She let her arm fall immediately away. "Doctor? What's wrong?"

He curled his hands around the railing edge of the platform barrier and hurdled himself over to leap to the other side. The fall was greater than he had anticipated, and so impact caused him to stumble awkwardly to the side. He used his hand to brace against the stumble, but was very swiftly back on his feet and in front of Rose. His eyes grazed across every inch of her face as his hand snapped out to clutch at her hip. "You came back," he managed on a husky, strangled voice.

"Of course I did," she assured him softly with a smile that trickled up into her eyes. She reached up to touch his cheek. "Where else would I go?"

The desperate look he offered. The guilty admission within his eyes gave her the answer she needed without him having to say a word. She immediately snapped her arms up and around his neck to drag him toward her.

"I promised you forever, Doctor," she vowed passionately. "I'm never leaving you. Never. Never ever." She cupped his mouth with her hand to prevent him from fracturing her vow with one of his Timey-Wimey warnings. "And I _will_ say _never ever_ , because I mean it."

She slid her hand from his mouth and pressed a kiss against the very corner of his mouth. Her words kissed hauntingly in his ear. "I said no to _him_ so that I could come home to you, Doctor. _You_ are the one I want."

That was all that he needed to hear. With her affirmation that she'd chosen him over the _other_ man, the Doctor lost his very last thread of restraint and crushed his mouth against hers in a bruising, frenzied kiss.

~~oooOOOooo~~

Rose ran her hands through her hair and then lifted them up into a high stretch as she crossed the threshold into hers and the Doctor's bedroom. She gave a tired moan inside her stretch as she toed off her socks and plotted her plan of attack toward getting her gear off and leaping into her bed. The underneath of that duvet looked so invitingly comfortable, and she was ready to just crash out and not awake from her coma for three days. Torchwood didn’t need them for at least that time frame.

At had been at Rose’s insistence that Marissa come home with she and the Doctor. They had more than enough space in their home and provided her with the guest room at the end of the hall. Rose managed to find her a pair of lounge pants and slouch shirt that fit, and promised that tomorrow she and Jackie would be thrilled to take her shopping for something more to her preference.

To which the Doctor had uttered a threat of: " _If I see even one hint of a suggestion of putting a velour tracksuit on my mother, this world will be obliterated. This world, the one next to us, and the next one over."_

Rose found that as much cute as disturbing, and promised, as she set the clothing on Mother's bed that it would be the only time anything remotely tracksuitish would be on offer for the Time Lady who gave birth to him. Or Loomed him. However that went.

Although she did ask for an explanation, the Doctor didn't feel the need to clarify the intricacies of the looming process to her at that moment, and so she just let her mind continue to picture a giant weaving loom with a scarf-wearing Gallifreyan maid studiously weaving out little Gallifrey babies out of scraps of material.

She had to admit that she found that image pretty funny. _He_ might not have, but she certainly did. Remembering the image as she stood in the doorway to the bedroom and unclasped her bra to toss it off in some corner as penance for the crime of being so damn restrictive and uncomfortable made her chuckle. To think of the man she loved being born in that manner? Oh that made her laugh. She turned to the doorway with a laugh still in her voice.

"Seriously, Doctor. You are going to _have_ to explain looming to me, because the image I have in my head would very likely insult you." Her lips pursed to notice that he was already standing in the doorway to their room. He was in a lean against the doorframe with his arms folded loosely across his chest. Her heart leapt from her chest and into her groin when she noticed the dark and predacious look upon his face. "Oh…" She cleared her throat as he pulled from the lean and hooked his hand around the edge of the door to close it behind him. "Hello."

“Hi.” He bared his teeth in a hungry smile as he rounded upon his prey and walked her up against their closet door. He took both of her hands in his and raised them up over her head as he pressed his body against hers. His fingers threaded through hers and he clutched her hands tight as he inched ever closer against her.

Rose gulped a dry swallow and rolled her head back against the closet door. The dry swallow morphed into a shaking sigh as the Doctor's lips met with the hollow of her throat and he hungrily suckled at her skin. Her heart pulsed incessantly in her chest, then in her throat, and then in her groin, as though chasing every touch of him against her. She whimpered against his careful ministrations as his mouth moved to suckle at the pulse point on her neck. In no time she found herself desperately sighing his name with urgency for him to take her to the bed, or take her against this wall – because either option was more than good for her right now.

He chuckled a husky rattle across her collarbone, but made no other sound as he released her hands and hooked the hem of her shirt with his thumbs. He had it up and over her head inside of a single breath and claimed a breast in his mouth as he carelessly discarded the shirt with a flick of his wrist behind him.

Her whimper shot to a wanton moan at the sudden shift of his hips away from hers. Rose immediately curled her leg around his thigh to pull him back. "No," she hissed. "Don't go."

His brow flicked with thrill. He tsked only the once and then crashed his mouth against hers as he hurriedly fumbled with the belt buckle of his jeans. He knew exactly where he was headed with this and made sure that he shucked off both his jeans and underwear in one smooth motion. He lightly dipped his knees between the part of her legs and slid his hands down to her thighs. With a firm hold, he pulled her up against him again, forcing her legs around his hips.

Rose let out a sharp moan at the hard press of his length against her and locked her teeth against his shoulder as he moved them toward the bed. He dropped her heavily onto the mattress and pushed her down with one hand on her shoulder. The other hand curled fingers around the waistband of her pants to tug them off her legs.

That's where she stopped him.

Rose flicked her hand upward, palm facing outward, in a clear request for him to stop.

The Doctor's head slightly shifted down in a territorial, predacious, and questioning tilt as he loomed over her. Rose lay still, her body raw, flushed and naked under his hungry glare.

“I don’t know that I _can_ stop,” he admitted hoarsely. “Rose. I need you right now more than I ever have.”

Slowly she lifted her chest up to draw herself into a kneel before him. She made sure to keep her eyes locked tight onto his so that she could see the movement of his gaze. "Oh, I’m not saying no, Doctor.” She licked at her lip and kept her tongue against her lip as she eyed him up and down. “But you're mistaken if you think this game is going to be under _your_ control."

She slid her hands up the front of his thighs, up his hips, under his shirt and up his chest. She grinned at his tremble to her touch and walked on her knees further back on the bed.

She was delighted that he hadn't removed his shirt as well as his pants. She used two firm grasps of the soft, white shirt to pull him roughly toward her. At his grunt, she pulled his mouth against hers, rolled them both across the mattress to finally pin him down underneath her.

He growled out her name against her mouth and snapped his hands to her hips. His grasp was tight as he shifted her to sit straddled over his hips, her heat firing his length to seek entrance.

Rose sensed his desperation and stretched up to loom up high above him. She pressed her hands into his chest as she rocked back gently to take him fully inside her in one slow and long movement. Her hands curled into fists to clutch at his shirt as his hands moved to her legs to beg movement from her.

"Tell me that you love me," she demanded as she let her hands slide to his jaw.

"I love you," he promised on a dark growl as his hips rose up to her.

She still didn't rise nor fall on him as her hands slid along his jaw and into his hair. "How much?"

His hips rutted hard upward against her. “More than you could possibly comprehend.” His head fell back hard on the pillow. “It’s eternal.” He pushed at her hips to beg for her to move. “Forever.”

“Is it enough,” she demanded as her hands shakily moved to set her fingers against his temple and her thumbs at his cheeks. "Enough to let me inside you?"

"Rose," he begged hotly. “Please.”

"You're inside me," she moaned with a light rock of her hip to push her point. "Let me inside you."

His eyes were wide and hot, his brows tight and narrowed. He snapped his hands to hers and held them hard and flat against his face. "Come on in," he said invitingly.

Rose bit at her lip and closed her eyes as she focused on his guiding hands and the burn of his mind against hers. Her chest jumped and her breath flew out of her as she felt the fiery flash of their connection, and of the long and loud moan of the Doctor.

"Open your eyes," he demanded desperately on a voice so long suffering. "Look at me, Rose."

Her eyes flashed open and she looked down at him with a gaped mouth as her body began to rise and fall on him. His hands held hard against hers as he opened himself fully to their connection and felt the storming surge of her emotions power into him with ruthless force.

There was nothing subdued or silent in his reaction to the emotion she was feeding him. He cried out, growled, moaned, and roared with every movement she made and with every thought she opened in his head. She removed every insecurity and every ounce of doubt he had in his mind of his worth to her. What she gave him was complete and utter devotion and the promise that her forever was going to be _their_ forever. Past, present and every second of the future.

The Doctor shattered completely as a long vow in Ancient Gallifreyan shot through his mind and then burst through his lips.

With a gentle press of her soft lips against his he passed out.


	23. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lot's of explanations in this chapter. Marissa and Rose Bond a little. The Doctor learns some truths that make him a rather unhappy little Time Lord.

Marissa lay heavily in a reclining wooden deck chair on the upstairs deck of the Doctor and Rose's house. As she stared up at the stars above her she could understand why they had chosen this house to live in. If only for the serene deck and the gateway to the stars it was worth the purchase price. She imagined Rose and her son spending hours sitting together outside simply looking up into the sky. She vowed to herself that she would do the same at every possible moment between now and when her final day was upon her.

With a tear in her eye, she pressed her lips to the centre of her right palm and blew a glittering breath along the length of her hand into the sky above. "Receive this, my beloved," she whispered sadly. "I will forever mourn our parting, but celebrate our time as one for all of eternity."

"Why is it that every beautiful thing that’s spoken always has to be done through sorrow?" Rose cooed softly from the sliding glass door to the deck. She carried a tray filled with an insulated teapot, mugs, milk and sugar, and used her rump to slide closed the door behind her. "I thought you might like some tea."

Marissa rose quickly from her seat to assist Rose in setting the tray on a small table between two deck chairs. "I have never tried tea," she admitted curiously. "Coffee, I have tried. It was particularly awful."

"I say that you're either one or the other," Rose said with cheer as she set about fixing two mugs of tea. "The Doctor, he likes tea. He's very specific, though, on how it's made."

"Meaning, he likes you to make it for him?"

Rose handed across a steaming cup of tea. "Yes."

Marissa laughed as she inhaled the aroma of fresh tea. "That’s because he is too lazy to make it for himself," she offered.

"I don't mind," she said with a sigh as she settled back into the lawnchair beside Marissa with her own mug of tea cupped protectively in her hands. "He always hangs around and bugs me while it's steeping, which means we talk. I consider it good bonding time between him and me."

Marissa stretched a very cheeky smile across her cheeks. "Yes. _Bonding_. Is this something that the two of you engage in often?"

"As in making tea?"

Marissa merely slid a tired look toward her.

"Oh!" Rose snorted an embarrassed breath so sharply that she was positive she inhaled tea up her nose. She spluttered slightly and wiped at a pair of droplets on her chest. "Oh. Um. Yes. Uh. No!" She looked everywhere except at Marissa. "Maybe that's a better question to ask _him._ Preferably when I'm a long, long way away from the both of you. _"_

Marissa laughed. "Oh don't be so shy about it, my daughter." She looked across to her. "If I may call you such, of course."

"Um. Yeah. Sure."

Marissa looked back to the sky. "I remember the days when his father and I came together with such intense and unbridled passion."

Rose bit at the rim of her mug in slight discomfort. There was no way on this Earth in this parallel in this regeneration that she was going to talk about _bonding_ with the Doctor _with his_ _Mother_! Never ever, and not for a second.

"It is clear that my husband passed along his very passionate and adoring spirit to our son."

Rose squeaked, and then smiled. There was an opening to change the course of this discussion. "Um. Yes. His – I mean the Doctor's – father." She cleared her throat to drop back to her usual octave. "Where is he?" She took a sip from her mug and smiled curiously. " _Who_ is he?"

"My beloved husband, is a great Time Lord by the name of Ulysses," Marissa answered sadly. "Centuries ago, he was found guilty of consorting with Aliens and was brought to task by the Council of the Time Lords. He was consequently incarcerated in a containment facility upon Gallifrey." She closed her eyes and took a breath. "Ulysses was a man who traveled all of time and space, having adventures and reaching such heights that even my Son could not reach." Her eyes opened and she dropped her head sadly. "And he was condemned to spend his remaining regenerations in a small cell with a view upon Mount Lung and the Cadonflood River. He is to forever look upon his home, but can never return to it."

"That's so sad," Rose whispered softly. She put her hand over Marissa's. "Were you able to visit him?"

She shook her head. "Impossible. His name and all records his very existence were removed by the Time Lord Council." She looked into the stars. "Such a strong and adventurous soul, now just a nameless face amongst prisoners."

"All for swanning about with Aliens," Rose asked with mild incredulity. "But the Doctor does that every single day of his life."

"And he was taken to task for that," Marissa said with a stern, yet, amused tone of voice. "Not that my son is one to accept being told what to do." She laughed lightly. "Since he was a child. He was such a stubborn young boy."

"Yeah, well nothing's changed. He can still be a right little brat. He just happens to be in a really good looking man's body."

She laughed. "One thing to know about the men of Time, child. They never grow up."

"Neither do Earth guys," Rose practically cheered. "Obviously men are men no matter which planet they're from."

"Oh, but how we love them, Rose." Marissa sighed longingly. "For all of the frustration and anger Ulysses could cause me, I would not change him for the entire universe." She took Rose's hand in hers and petted it gently. "The Doctor will drive you senseless. There will be days where he will anger you. He will frustrate and upset you. Just remember that none of it is intentional. He loves you, and it will pain him if he thinks that he's upset you."

Rose licked coyly at her lip. "In other words if – sorry – _when_ he gets me all flustered I should milk it for all its worth?"

Marissa let out a laugh of sheer pride. "Oh yes, my daughter. I approve of that strategy."

Silence fell upon the two ladies for a moment as both looked toward the stars. Their focused minds were on two different Time Lords. Surprisingly, however, each woman's mind was not on the face of their beloved, but on the men who held the heart of the other. Marissa considered her son, and of the wonderful life he had yet to live, and Rose considered Ulysses, and of the condemnation brought upon him by the power of the Lords of Gallifrey.

Rose slouched deeper in the chair and held her mug against the valley between her breasts. "May I ask you a question?"

"Of course, Child."

She rolled her head to regard the other woman with a gentle and curious look. "I keep hearing, from you, and from the TARDIS, that I am being called by Time. By your words, I assume that means Gallifrey."

Marissa nodded. "That's correct."

Rose shifted her body slightly toward Marissa. "But how? Gallifrey is gone."

Marissa licked at her lip as she considered the question carefully. She took a moment to sip at her tea and then set it on the table in between their chairs. "Time, and its pathways are very complicated. You are only beginning to learn your new consciousness, and so as you move forward, and with the Doctor's gentle guidance, those intricacies will become more clear to you."

"I do want to ask you, at a later moment, about this _new consciousness_ you, I suppose, gave me back on the ship."

"And that discussion is best held until the Doctor is with you, Rose," she warned softly. "I am sure that he has many questions, himself."

"As long as he isn't going to reject me," Rose groused softly. "He fell in love with a human girl, not a Time Lord, or lady."

"Mistress," Marissa countered with a smile. "Until you and my son are fully bonded in marriage, you are referred to as a Time Mistress."

"Oh it sounds so scandalous," Rose joked. "I'm his _mistress_."

"Don't fear rejection," she continued. "The vow and plea he cried out to the Council of the Lords this evening as you came together tells me that he will hold you to him with fierce passion no matter your form or consciousness."

Rose cleared her throat uncomfortably. Her voice was a meek whisper of a question. "Plea?"

"Well. That’s a difficult one to translate for you," she started with a frown of concentration. "The oath that he made is very specific, and there is no precise translation into your human tongue. It's not a vow that is spoken lightly." She shifted in her seat to pick up her cup of tea again. “If I explain it loosely, I would say that my son made a plea for them to grant him their permission to loom your timelines into one "

“So, a proposal, then?” Rose blushed and moved across her left hand to show Marissa the beautiful ring that the Doctor had given her. “He already proposed. We just haven’t set a date for it yet.”

Marissa looked confused for only a moment, but seemed to get it after a moment. She took Rose’s hand in hers and appraised the ring on her finger. “Yes, that’s right. Earth customs involve the gifting of rings.” She raised her eyes to Roses. “Twice if I remember correctly. Once for the betrothal and another for the vows.”

Rose nodded.

“It is a very beautiful gift,” Marissa purred as she shifted the seat of the ring to watch the moonlight glint off the many facets. “Absolutely beautiful, although I expect that he will say that it pales in beauty compared to you.”

Rose laughed. “If he came up with something that corny, I’d probably thump him.”

“Own any such compliment, Child. If he feels it is necessary to shower you with such, then you take it no matter how corny it may seem.”

“Lest I offend his sensitive attempts at romance, right?”

“Right.” She petted her hand. “At least let him try. Rassilon knows that the Lords of Gallifrey may be brilliant, but they do tend to fail when it comes to love and romance. Nothing Lordly about them in that protocol.”

“Not a subject at the Academy, then?”

Both women chuckled and then fell into silence for a few moments. Rose finally broke the silence with a question she had regarding marriage and just what the Doctor might be expecting.

“So. Uh. Marriage on Gallifrey. What happens?”

Marissa rolled her head on the chair to regard Rose curiously. “It all depends, Child. Marriage and the coming together of timelines are two very different ceremonies. Marriage between a Gallfreyan couple are fairly similar to what you have here on Earth. A ceremony, a coupling, the looming of children." She pursed her lips a moment before continuing. "In the houses of the Lords, it is no different."

"The Doctor has told me that most marriages are political."

"Loveless, mostly," Marissa confirmed. "The houses of the Lords need to maintain the arranged marriages between Chapters to hold the factions together. Oh, in time devotion between couples does sometimes occur. It's uncommon, but not unheard of. Ulysses and I were considered one of the exceptional mated pairs.” She inhaled a deep breath. “Although our paring was not for Lungbarrow’s benefit. It was approved by council.”

“Lungbarrow?”

“Ulysses’ home, and the family home of the Doctor.”

"Oh. Okay. And you," she queried as she suddenly set about making a third cup of tea from the pot to her right. "What house were you from?"

"My origin," she warned quietly. "Is as much a secret as my Son's name is."

"So am I to assume you’re not Gallifrey born, then?" Rose ventured thoughtfully. "And is being so secretive a common trait amongst your people?" She suddenly cleared her throat. “Oh, I apologise for that. I shouldn’t have asked that. I’m sorry.”

"Never be apologetic for asking a question,' Marissa said quickly. "If one doesn't ask, then one doesn't learn.”

Rose looked up from her task. "Can I use that the next time I ask the Doctor a question he doesn't want to answer?"

"If he doesn't wish to answer the question, child, then there stands a reason."

Rose held the fresh mug of tea up high over her shoulder and kept her eyes on Marissa. "Yeah. I get it." She waited a moment with her eyes held high to the stars.

"What are you doing, child?"

"Oh, nothing," she said with a wide grin. "So. Let’s get back to this whole Gallifrey Calling business."

"We should, perhaps, wait for the Doctor."

“No need. Give him a moment.”

Marissa’s brows shot high to see the man in question lumber sleepily through the sliding glass door.

He wore only a thin pair of pyjama pants and a white crinkled undershirt over his chest, his hair was flat over his eyes, and he walked like a man drunk, but Rose still gave him an appreciative whistle as he took the mug from her and tipped it in thanks. "You are an amazing woman, Rose Tyler. Don't let them tell you otherwise."

"I don't typically let them."

The Doctor hooked his foot around the leg of a patio chair and limped as he dragged it with his foot over to sit with the ladies. "General chinwag?" he asked. "Or are we discussing the very fabric of nature?"

"Don't you be so lazy, young Lord," Marissa hissed in annoyance with appoint of her finger at the chair. "Pick up that chair and carry it."

The Doctor looked at his Marissa, at Rose, and then at the current location of the chair – which was about a single inch away from his intended destination. With a challenging look of a petulant child, he put his hand on the back of it, lifted it an inch off the ground, and placed it in exactly the place he wanted it –slightly less than an inch from where it had been dragged. "There," he muttered as he flopped down in it with enough flop to actually scrape it that entire almost inch backward.

"Are you sure this is the man with which you wish to spend your entire set of regenerations with, my daughter?" Marissa chipped with a glare toward her son.

"That puts in place a question you need to answer," The Doctor interrupted around a mouthful of tea. "How _did_ my beautiful _Human_ Rose become a Time Lady?"

" _Mistress_ , Doctor," Rose quickly corrected with a smile along the rim of her mug. She waggled a brow. "According to your Mother, I'm not yet a Lady. Well. Not until you make an honest woman of me anyway."

"Oh, I don't know about that," he breathed across the top of his mug with a wink in his eye. "You're more Lady than half the women of Time I've met."

"Present company excluded I would hope." Marissa shifted herself upward to take herself out of the lean she had on her chair. A quick adjustment on the back, and she was seated in quite a good position to properly address her Son. "Rose has been a Mistress of Time since the moment she looked into the heart of your TARDIS and took into her the Time Vortex."

The Doctor leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "At the Gamestation," he confirmed. He then frowned. "No. There's no possible way that you could know about that. Gallifrey was long gone by then." He rubbed at his brow. "Long gone."

"Son," Marissa said flatly. "Need I remind you of who we are?"

"Yeah, Doctor. Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey," Rose offered. She gave a shrug at his sharp look. "Hey. You're all Time Travellers. Backward, forward, left, right, ooh, I stepped on a bug, I'd better go back and change that…"

"I'm not quite sure how to take you making so light of this, Rose," he muttered.

"It is what it is," she sighed defeatedly. "Being with you, I've learned to just roll with it. If I continually tried to analyze everything that happened and tried to keep it straight, I'd go certifiably insane."

"Again, not sure how to take that."

"I love you."

"Don't change the subject."

She sipped at her tea. "Are you upset that I can live long and regenerate?"

"Of course I'm not," he said quickly. "It's brilliant. It really is."

"Then just run with it. I am."

He looked to his Marissa. "But, there's more to it, isn't there?" his eyes remained on his Marissa. "Rose, not all Gallifreyan children become regenerating semi-immortal beings." He finally looked toward her. "That's a privilege granted to those selected by the Time Lords."

"Indeed," Marissa continued. "When still loomlings, the children from the houses of the Lords are initiated as potential Lords of Time and are placed in front of the gateway to the Vortex. They are made to look into the heart of Time itself and from there their paths are in place."

"At that moment are they granted the power of regeneration from the Lords?"

The Doctor shook his head. “No. Not until you’ve completed a century at the Academy and have achieved a passing grade for graduation.” He scratched at his head in a rather sheepish manner. “I almost didn’t pass.”

Rose gasped at that. Marissa merely rolled her eyes in disgust. “Only because you were lazy, Son. You certainly have the brilliance to have finished on the top of the honour roll.”

“It wasn’t laziness, Mother.”

“Then what was it?”

He pouted and fell into a rather petulant slouch. “I had my reasons.”

"So," Rose breathed through perfectly pouted lips in an attempt to stave off a mother/son disagreement. "You aren't born with regenerations then." She chuckled. "So did the Lords know exactly what they were doing when they gave you that power, Doctor?"

"Indeed no," he said with a single-sided smile and a wink toward her. He then turned his attention back to his Marissa. "So therein lies the question burning a hole in my mind. Even after Rose looked into the vortex, the ability of regeneration wasn't an automatic right. That's something that has to be given to her by the Lords. And, _well_ , there really aren't any swanning about around here, and I certainly don't have the power to hand out regeneration packages, neither does a half ready TARDIS machine."

"Do you remember your father speaking this to you?" His Mother looked at him with an unreadable gaze. " _And so it shall come to pass that the War to end Time will be waged. A Lord of war will have possession of a single moment, a conscience and a sublime being of golden light. It will be physicians three guided by_ …"

" _The wolf and the storm_ ," the Doctor continued with wide eyes. " _The Howl and Thunder will open the eyes and mind, and thirteen will be the savior. The Fire of Time will burn no more_."

"Well that's interesting," Rose remarked softly. "What's that, a prophecy?"

The Doctor shook his head. "It's from the Book of Rassilon." He frowned. "Stories. Just stories. My father used to tell me those tales when I was a kid." He rose up from the chair and moved to sit on the end of the seat that Rose lay. He pulled her legs across his thighs and resumed his slouch of his elbows on his knees. "So you're telling me that this story is not so much fiction, as it is a prophetic text?"

"Such as Rassilon believes," Marissa offered.

The Doctor shook his head. "No. Rassilon's mistaken. There was no saving Gallifrey that day. I vividly remember making that decision. I see those flames burn every time I close my eyes." He stood up sharply, with enough of a shift in his calves to knock the chair and have Rose yelp as she was thrown off balance by his legs knocking against hers. "Gallifrey burned at my hand. I watched it happen. I _made_ it happen." He began to pace. "I had no _moments_ or a _being of golden light_ to guide me. I was the Doctor of War, and I had no guidance." He winced in painful remembrance. "I barely even knew how to get that damn bomb to work."

"But Son."

"There are no _buts_ , he growled. "I was there. I watched it happen – I _made_ it happen. That event can't change. It's time locked, a fixed point in time."

"All points can be changed," Marissa dared him as she rose quickly from the chair. "Rassilon says he's seen the survival of Gallifrey and its children." She set her hands on his shoulders. "The story has been told for a thousand years. We need to believe it, Son. It's the only hope we have for survival."

"You can't put the pressure of the survival of a world on Rose," he growled. "She's human. Born on Earth, not loomed at Lungbarrow."

"And just what does that statement imply; that you think she is inferior for the task?"

"Don't put words in my mouth, Mother."

Rose shifted with great unease in the chair. "I think it's time for me to leave." She thumbed toward the door. "I have to clear up the, uh. Kitchen! Yes, the kitchen needs cleaning. Making tea is a very messy business."

"No," the Doctor answered suddenly, sensing the distress in her tone. "Rose, please stay." He moved toward her and took a seat on the edge of the chair. He rubbed lightly at her knee. "I want you to stay."

"No," Rose said softly as she slid off the chair and slowly drew herself to a stand. "I think the two of you need some time alone to work a few things out." She kissed his mouth tenderly, and ran her thumb along his lip when she pulled back from him. "You'd better start with just what you intend to do about helping your parents reunite." She looked around him toward Marissa. "We can start with the two of you working out how to get this Rassilon guy to change his mind on exiles and incarcerations. I suggest warning him that if he wants me and you to go about saving his planet, I have a couple of demands to make first."

The Doctor looked perplexed for a moment. His fingers wrapped around Rose's hand to hold her with him as he turned his gaze toward his Marissa. "What's Rose talking about?"

"We have more important items to discuss right now," she answered evasively.

"Actually," Rose offered. "Gallifrey can wait." She received two separate kinds of stares: one a perplexed, yet supportive look, and the other a stare of frustration. She dropped her hand from the Doctor's to step toward Marissa. "I spent more than two years on the other side of a dimensional wall from the Doctor. It almost killed me. I missed him so much that I cried for him every single day."

"Oh, Rose," he breathed sorrowfully.

Rose kept her attention toward Marissa. "But I can't even begin to imagine how completely soul shattering it must be for you to be forced into exile away from your husband – the father of your children – separated by Time, by a dimensional wall, and by Prison bars."

"What?" The Doctor spluttered. " _What_?"

"So I'm going to say this,' Rose continued. "You get a message to Rassilon, and you tell him that unless he releases Ulysses from prison and allows you to return to your parallel, then I'm not doing squat to help _him_ out. He can find another _wolf_ to help save Gallifrey."

"Rassilon doesn't take well to threats, Child,' Marissa warned.

"Yeah? Well neither do I." She leaned in close and threatening. "Remind him that I was able to do the one thing he couldn't: I wiped out an entire Dalek fleet with only a wave of my hand – I've still got what it takes to _wave_ a little in his direction, too."

"Is what Rose says true, Marissa," the Doctor asked sharply with a fast approach. "Were you sent here in exile by Rassilon?"

Marissa dropped her head. "Yes, my son," she admitted. "I was sent here in exile, and to give your beloved my birthright to Lungbarrow as punishment for helping your brother when the Master returned."

"The Master returned?" The Doctor sounded mortified. "That's impossible. He was dead. I watched his body burn."

"Who's the Master," Rose asked curiously.

"An evil man," Marissa growled as she stepped two strides closer to the Doctor. "You are best not knowing who he is, child."

"What did he do," the Doctor asked on a low breath. "And how can you helping out my brother put you in exile from Rassilon?"

"Allow me to show you," she answered as she lightly touched her son's face. "You won't like what you see, Doctor. I'm sorry."

“I can handle it.” He cleared his throat, closed his eyes and dropped his head. “Contact?”

Marissa exhaled hard and lowered her head. “Contact.”

Rose watched in horror the expressions that overtook the Doctor's face as he watched the horrific events of the last days of the Tenth Doctor's regeneration. Her hand flew to cover her mouth when the Doctor finally disconnected from his Mother’s mind and staggered backward like a man in agony. He held at his gut, hunched over his arms and looked at his Marissa with a horrified and tear-filled gaze.

"That's a death sentence," he croaked. "He can't order that."

"I committed treason," she argued. "The Council are fully within their rights to put me to death."

He shook his head. "Not like this," he snarled. "This is a slow and horribly cruel manner of death that'll take two lives, not just yours." He held his palm to his forehead. "Why would you go against him, Mother? He is the most powerful being in Kasterborous."

"I did it to save my son," she snarled. "And I would do it again for him, for you. Your father would do the same. He would support what I've done."

The Doctor lunged forward and snatched his Mother into a desperate and protective embrace. "I won't allow this," he vowed passionately. "I promise you – _promise_ – that we'll make this right."

"I know, Son," she whispered into his ear. "I know."


	24. Time Lines and Bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor and Rose discuss bonding and what it means to Time Lords and TARDIS. Trouble is brewing at Torchwood.

If there was one thing that Rose knew would always remain consistent with her and the Doctor, no matter what the situation, where they were, or how insane things got, his hand would always find hers. The hold may vary, with his fingers threaded through hers, or simply cupped and wrapped around her hand, but it would always be there. The Doctor's hand hold was so guaranteed, and so often there, that Rose could tell his mood the second that his hand found hers.

Today it was a loose cup of his fingers around hers. His right, her left. His wrist crossed in front of hers, and his thumb so loosely hung that it barely grazed her knuckles.

He was out of sorts. Distracted. Worried. Probably slightly frustrated in himself.

Rose tightened her hold on his hand and stepped in closer to him. She stroked at his arm and pressed her lips against his shoulder as she looked pleadingly up to his face. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

His hand tightened slightly around hers and he dropped his gaze to her to offer her a gentle smile. "Reading my mind, Rose Tyler?"

She widened her eyes in horror and jerked away just slightly at that. "That's not something that we're gonna be able to do, is it?"

He gave her a laugh. "No."

She let out a breath of relief. "Oh, thank God for that."

"Oh, ho," he huffed in amusement. "Now I  _want_  to know." He released her hand and stuffed his hands in his trouser pockets as he spun to walk a backward gait ahead of her. He had a teasing glint in his eye, and dipped into a slight forward stoop as he walked. "So what is it that fills the mind of the brilliant Rose Tyler? Is it mischief and mayhem, song and dance?" He leaned forward with a light purse in his lips and huskily lowered his voice. "Love and romance?"

She snatched his lapels and walked forward on her toes as he walked backward in his stoop and touched the tip of her nose against his. "My thoughts, scandalous or innocent, are mine to know."

"And are obviously now mine to determine," he slipped his hand back into hers and spun on the ball of his foot to walk at her side once more. "Let me see. Monday morning. Debrief from the accidental appearance of the Theonope group mostly complete, but reports need to be typed up." He looked down his shoulder at her, and at the roll in her eyes. "Nope," a strong pop in his P. His thumb stroked at her hand. "How about making some plans for lunch today that might involve some rather creative calendar manipulations on the part of your assistant? I know we've been trying to get an hour at the same time together for the last two weeks and it hasn't happened."

"Give up," she moaned. "You're not even half way close."

He grinned a toothy smile and winked.  "That’s probably because we are in a public forum and any other suggestion I have in my mind would be wholly inappropriate."

"And you say that with a straight face," she murmured with a slight reddish tint to her cheek.

He dipped down closer to her ear. "Was the last one right?"

"No!"

He shrugged with his toothy grin still firmly in place and lightly swung their joined hands. "Then whatever delicious thoughts are swirling through your beautiful mind will just have to remain your secret to hold, my dear Rose."

She tugged his hand to draw them to a stop and turned to face him. "Something _is_ on my mind, Doctor."

"That doesn't sound good," he ventured. "Is everything okay?"

She shook her head. "I want to ask the same about you."

"Oh."

She caught him ready to look away and guided his face back to hers. "You haven't spoken about Friday night at all, Doctor." She chased his eyes with her face to keep in his line of sight. "I know that you're worried about your mum and dad, and I want to help you to help them, but I can't if you're going to clam up and not talk to me."

“Well.  Okay.”  He tugged at his ear. "That’s partly because I'm still trying to wrap my head around it, Rose. Still trying to come up with some form of plan to be able to bridge an interdimensional gap between prime and our parallel, to get across to a planet that doesn't even exist anymore to attempt to find where my father is being held to try and get him freed." He took a breath. "Then I have the added bonus quandary of trying to figure out just how you and I could possibly have become embroiled in a children's story that means we're saving a planet that, again, doesn't exist anymore."

She gave an innocent tilt to her head and licked at her lip. "If the TARDIS was ready, could we use her to solve a few of those problems? Especially the interdimensional, timey wimey trip back to Gallifrey before it went Woosh?" She made a hand motion to indicate fire.

The Doctor winced slightly in hurt, but held it down knowing it was an unintentional stab. "If I knew how to be able to cross the dimensional barrier without collapsing the universes, using just the TARDIS don't you think I would have done so when we were separated?" He took her other hand in his. "Rose. I had to burn up a sun just to be able to get a message to you across the wall; so I could say good bye to you."

"But since then, Doctor," she tried with an urging smile. "Since then, we've managed to find ways."

"All of which caused some very impressive destructive events. Or, at the very least, required a destructive event." He tugged her in for a hug and dropped his chin onto the top of her head. "There's no way to do it safely, Rose. I wish there was."

Rose set her chin on his shoulder.  She mewled just slightly as his cheek nestled into her hair. "What if there were TARDIS machines on either side of the wall. Could they combine their energies to create a stable portal that would allow safe passage through a wall?"

The Doctor snapped her away from him and shot a frown of thought into her face. "Rose?"

"You had mentioned some time ago that when the Time Lords were active, that inter dimensional travel was possible. Is that because of the multiple TARDIS machines in flight at any time, and so connecting between machines could make it possible?" She hooked her hair behind her ear. "It’s worth considering, yeah?  Once we get our girl up and running, we could try."

He stared at her with complete awe. "You are amazing," he breathed as he cupped her face in his hands. "In case I haven't said it today, I love you."

"You have," she said with a grin as she pressed a chaste kiss to his mouth. "Twice.  But you can keep telling me that. I won't tire of it any time soon."

"I certainly hope not," he chirped as he stepped back to her side and resumed their walk. "But. I do know how to say it or a variant of it in five billion languages, so I can mix it up."

“Keep saying it to me in Arcadian,” She whispered.  “That’s my favourite sound in the whole Universe.”

“And only someone who didn’t grow up with that blasted complicated language could ever really find such appreciation for it,” he said with a chuckle.

“And you think that English is any less complicated?”

He laughed heartily at that.  “Oh it’s a close second, I’ll give you that.”  He scratched at his sideburn and winced ever so slightly as he thought about it.  “Considering you don’t have the added factors of Time and regenerative issues to warp what you have to say, the creators of your fine language certainly did make it much more complicated than it had to be.”

“No sense in making it easy, yeah?”  She giggled.  “Bland though it may be, and lacking that beautiful musical sounds of many other Human languages, it still has its mystique.”

“No,” he argued lightly.  “Development and the spread of the language across the globe has simply found it to have _evolved_ somewhat into something … _well_ …”

“Chinese Whispers,” she injected softly.  He gave her a rather adorable perplexed glance, so she continued.  “A game we played in the school ground.  You have a long line of people and whisper a simple sentence from one end of the line to another.  Typically what begins and what ends are two very different statements.”

He pressed his lips together in a thoughtful manner and nodded.  “If we put it in purely simple terms, yes.  That works quite nicely.”  He squeezed her tightly.  “Such a clever little ape is my Rose Tyler.”

“Brat.”  She bumped him with her shoulder.  "So, can I ask you a question?"

"I'll try to answer."

She licked at her lip a little. "Aside from the obvious heartbreak and agony of separation." She watched his face lengthen as though ready to face that tough question. "How does your mum being here mean that she's being condemned to death?"

His grip tightened incredibly on her hand, and again, he pulled her to a stop. "My parents are among the few married Lords who found their true mate. Before my brother – His name is Irving by the way.  Irving Braxiatel.  He’s quite the _interesting_ fellow, actually.  I think you and he would get on rather spectacularly.  Quite like fire and an incendiary device that ccould blow up a…”

“Get on with it,” she boomed inside a laugh.

“Yes.  Of course.  Anyway before Brax and I were loomed, my father got approval from the council to allow them to enter into a bonding commitment ceremony."

"Your mum mentioned that," she offered with a smile. "She said that their time lines are loomed into one."

"Yeah, that's it," he said with a tic of his head and an upward lift to his eyes. "It's more than a simple marriage bonding, where the mates link their minds to become a telepathically bonded pair.  This is a much more intense and permanent telepathic connection." He lifted one side of his mouth in a smile. "And when I say permanent, I'm being quite literal."

"Kind of like you with the TARDIS?" she tried.

He nodded. "Close.”  He thought about that and shook his head.  “No.  Not close.  That’s actually quite accurate.  A bond between a Lord and ship is rather unbreakable.  TARDIS machines have been known to commit suicide when they lose their pilot to death.  They are unable to survive the breaking of their bond.”

“Oh holy hell,” Rose breathed.

“A telepathic connection needs constant nurturing. It's a constant sentient state that longs and searches for that connection. In this situation, the one with my parents, a transdimensional barrier will block their senses from each other.  Without that connection they'll eventually break down."

"Please assure me that by breaking down, you mean just crying desperately for each other."

He pressed his lips tight together and shook his head.

"Blimey, Doctor," she breathed against her hand. "So they're going to…"

"They'll literally die without each other."

"Then we have to help them." She said with a voice holding tears. "There has to be a way for us to help them."

"I'm working on it," he assured. "I've been running potential plans through my head since Friday."

"The TARDIS can help, yeah?"

"Not in her current state, Rose." He looked at his watch, and swiftly turned to tug her back into a swift walk to the office. "We'd better get a move on. I've got a meeting with," he groaned and slumped though in pain. "I have a  _meeting_. A _meeting_ , Rose.  Me!  Time Lord.  Having to engage in _meetings_."  He wiped his palm down his face.  “It’s humiliating.”

"We're going to save them, Doctor," she promised. "I swear to you that we'll help mum and dad. We'll reactivate the dimension canon project, and we'll find a way to get to the Doctor and have him take your mum home."

"I know we will," he said with a fake smile.

"We always do, right? Rose and the Doctor, stuff of legend, saviours of the universe."

"Quite right, we will," he said, his smile becoming tentative, but honest. "Now my question to you."

Rose tilted her head upward, curious. "Sure. Ask away."

"Knowing what you do about this form of marriage." He looked down at her. "Would you still consent?"

She nervously tucked her hair behind her ear. "Would you?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't." He snapped her flush against him and walked them through the revolving door of the Torchwood office, both in the same small section of the door, giggling childishly in her ear as they entered the main lobby. "So? How about it? Are you willing to take a jaded 900 year old Time Lord as your life partner? To have and to hold in this regeneration, and all other regenerations to come?"

Rose's smile spread from one ear to the next as she leapt at him and hooked her arms around his neck. "Without a second thought," she promised. As she pulled back from him and lets his hand fins hers once more, she leaned into him with a tongue in teeth smile. "900 years old? Really?"

~~oooOOOooo~~

Rose had a bounce in her step as she skipped past Spencer into their work lab. She hummed a pop tune as she leapt into her chair and kicked the floor to roll it to in front of her computer.

Spencer looked up over his monitor with a cheeky smile. "You're in a good mood for a Monday," he called across the room. "I’m guessing that the Doc treated you right this morning?"

"I hope you're not implying what I think you're implying," she sang as she scrolled through her emails. "And. You know that he hates being called  _Doc_ , right?"

"Which is precisely why we all call him that," he chuckled. "What's a nickname if the person who has it actually likes the name?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "That's very true." She leaned back into her chair and swiveled left to right and left again. "Are we booked heavy today?"

"You and Doc are set for a meeting with the Strategic heads to discuss your thoughts on the new Quantum Force Defense Weapon project at eleven."

"Send them a memo from the both of us with a gigantic  _Hell no you stupid bunch of gits_  on it, and then take it off my calendar."

"Yeah, can't do that. I tried, remember, when the request first came through." He leaned back in his chair in an identical pose to her and cradled his fingers across his belly. "At risk of blowing your good mood, Boss Lady – and I am going to beg of you that you don't shoot me and I'll still have a job after telling you this – but I think you and Doc may be about to find yourselves in a gigantic pile of shit."

Her side to side swivel on her chair ceased rather abruptly. "What?"

"Your Dad's had me running some securities on yours and Doc's systems."

"Why?"

"He's has some suspicions since the Sontarans had their little party in our sky." He quickly held up his hands. "Not against the two of you – I promise – but because some of the questions he has seem to centre between you and Doc, he wanted me to do some digging and try to protect your data."

She swallowed. "And what have you found?" Her eyes shifted warily to her monitor as she considered the files containing the TARDIS information.

"Nothing about project TARDIS," he assured. "I've got it protected so tightly that even if they could access the files, they wouldn't understand a word of it."

She looked impressed. "How did you do that?"

"Wish I could take cred," he admitted with a shrug. "Doc got in there shortly after he found your little secret and recoded all of the files. Says that they'd be impossible to translate if they were ever accessed."

"Okay. So my baby is safe," she looked at the vault door. "For now."

"Nah, not for too much longer," he said flatly. "I intercepted a memo to the Torchwood heads from Marcus. Rose, he's put in an injunction in demanding to know what you're doing behind vault doors."

"He can't," she breathed on a worried voice.

"He _can_ ," Spencer corrected apologetically. "He's charging that your project is a danger to Mother England, and that it's somehow inviting other aliens to come visit or some such shit." He stood up and put his hands in his labcoat pockets as he strode toward her. "He's either going to shut it down and have it destroyed, or he's going to have his team take what you have and will exploit it from there." He scratched at his neck as he looked to the door. "Moving that monster of a thing isn't going to be an option, so we're looking at destruction I reckon."

"It's not his property to make that decision," she snapped. "That TARDIS is the property of the Time Lords of Gallifrey. That right of ownership is protected by the Shadow Proclamation, and, ugh," she groaned as she pressed her hands into her eyes in frustration. "I'm not going to get used to knowing this stuff."

"I've set up a calendar block on yours, Pete's and Doc's schedules at ten a.m., so you three can come up with a game plan for this. I've rounded up as much information as I can for you." He looked very apologetic. "But it doesn't look good, Rose. Marcus is gunning for the Doc, and he's not going to stop playing these Ass Clown games until he gets him."

"But why? I don't get it."

"Ahh," Spencer breathed in annoyance. "Bastard's probably a damn alien himself, from a species that the Doc kicked ass on. It'd make sense. That level of douchebaggery is either Alien, or Australian."

"I'd go with alien," She suggested. "Aussies tend to be very upfront about their asshattery."

"Yeah," he agreed. "True that is."

Rose pushed herself out of her chair and wiped her now sweating hands on the thighs of her jeans. "The Doctor's meeting finishes at nine-thirty. Can you let him know to come straight here when he's done. Just tell him we have a mauve alert situation, and he'll bolt down here in a jiffy."

"Not red?"

She chuckled as she tapped in her access codes to the vault. "Apparently the Universal colour is mauve – don't ask me, ask him about it some time." She stepped into the room and blew a kiss toward the beautiful coral structure winding around the room.

"Hello sweetheart," she cooed. "Looks like we have a problem. How do you feel about stepping up the schedule?"

 


	25. Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose breaks it down for TARDIS and tries to get her to play along with her plans.

It took a moment for the TARDIS to come to life, and for the hologram of the interface to appear at the main console. The holographic interface image that the TARDIS projected of Nine looked troubled.

"Good morning, Rose."

"It's morning, but I wouldn't class it as being particularly _good._ "

Nine's brow tightened as he moved toward her. His head had the telltale tilt of question and concern. "Why do you feel different to me, Rose? Why can I sense Time Lord consciousness within you?"

On any other moment, Rose would have had a couple of very witty answers for that question. Time being of the essence, however, she made do with immediate truth. "Apparently the Grand Master felt it was necessary to give me full Time Lord consciousness and regenerative powers." She pressed her hand onto the top of the console. "The Doctor's Mum is here, and apparently she was tasked by Rassilon to give me to _deluxe package_."

"Oh," he answered cautiously with a crease in his brow. "And the Doctor, does he know?"

"Yes. Both of them do, actually."

“Both of them?” TARDIS was somewhat perplexed by that. “I don’t understand your meaning.”

“A very long story,” Rose offered tiredly as she rubbed her eyes with her thumb. “Wibbly wobbly Timey Wimey crazy Time Lord weirdness stuff.” She offered a weak smile. “Your sister sends her best wishes for a successful birthing and … oh … she says hi.”

He wanted to believe the impossible words that she was sharing with him, and shrugged lightly as he looked down at the growing console beside him. “You saw my Thief and my sister? They are both well?”

“By all accounts, yes.”

"I am grateful to hear that news.” He raised his eyes to hers. Even though only a holographic interface, there was definite longing present in his gaze. “And how do they take the news of your new consciousness and the presence of Marissa?"

"Thrilled," she stated flatly. "But it’s brought about some problems for my Doctor that we have to try and help him with.”

“And by saying _try_ I will expect that he is expected to eat a serving of impossible for breakfast?”

“Something to that effect,” she muttered blandly.

He straightened up and folded his arms across his chest. “And the level of distress that you are currently projecting toward me suggests that there is far more to this situation than just that.”

She nodded. “On top of that, we have much bigger problems, several of them in fact, and we have to put our heads together and come up with a solution right now."

“That bad, yeah?”

“Add another suitcase of bad.”

“Fantastic.” He tightened fold of his arms across his chest, tight, and leaned slightly backward as though to give himself more height. "Right-oh, then. I’ll hazard a guess that this is about stepping up our schedule?"

Rose nodded and let out a breath before she took a sharp inhale to continue. "What's the probability of getting you fully active in, say, oh, the next little while?"

"If the next little while is about three months or so, then we're in good standing."

"How about by tonight?"

He shook his head. "Impossible."

"Nothing is impossible," she said with tightly pursed lips. She drummed her fingers on the counter. "I've defied impossible more than once. And you and me, together we’ve completely obliterated impossible. We laughed at it!" She wandered around the console and licked at her lip as she pulled the keyboard toward her to begin running calculations. "You've grown enough that we can move toward the Block Transfer process."

"No. I'm not…"

"Are you telling me that your computer is glitching, TARDIS? Because this says you're good to go."

His jaw shifted. "But _you're_ not ready. The Doctor and I haven't yet completed our calculations to make this work and keep you safe." He saw her fierce determination and shook his head with urgency. "Bring in the Doctor, we will discuss this. We go no further unless he is here."

She opened her mouth to speak.

"I'm not letting you even attempt to try anything without him being here." He pointed sharply in her direction. "And you should know better just how he'll react if you go ahead and try. The fact you're even considering it will get you a decent talking to – if not incite a rather spectacular disagreement between you both that I don’t wish to be privy to."

She slouched backward and nodded in agreement. "You're right, as usual," she acquiesced gently. "I can't do this without him." She tapped at her teeth. "How about trying to get a message across time and space? You and I can do this, yeah?"

"Oh, you're going to push this, aren't you?"

She held her finger and thumb a mere millimeter apart. "Just a little teenie tiny bit." She slumped at his look of _no._ "Just one little hypercube, that's all."

He raised a finger. "One. That's it." He moved to stand beside her at the console. "Who are you trying to reach, the other Doctor?"

Her lips pursed. "No."

"Who," he muttered with a warning tone. "There aren't any other Time Lords who can intercept the cube."

"I need you to throw it back a few years."

"You say that as though it is such an easy thing to do."

She grinned a toothy smile, and stroked the console in a loving manner. "I have such faith in my brilliant and beautiful baby girl. If anyone can do it, you can."

"Yeah," he chuckled with a shake of his head. "And there are times, you know, that all the flattery in the universe will still earn you a negative response." He winked. "But I can try. Who are we looking for then?"

"Rassilon."

"Absolutely not!"

Her mouth gaped. "Well that was an awfully quick shut down."

"You don't want to go messing about with him, Rose," he warned darkly. "I won't facilitate any form of communication between you and _that_ Time Lord. He's too dangerous. Not even the Doctor can protect you from him."

"Yeah, well like it or not, I think we're going to need him." She rubbed at her brow and winced. "I've got a very unsettling feeling, and I don't know that the Doctor's going to be able to get me through this without help."

"Believe in him."

"I do."

There was a strangled yelp from the doorway. Both the interface image of Nine and Rose twisted their bodies and glares toward the sound. Rose's jaw dropped more in annoyance than shock to see Marcus' right hand soldierman standing in the doorway, swinging a half-sized nightstick around his finger.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," she snarled under her breath. She strode a step forward to address him. "This is a restricted area, Jackson. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Not going anywhere," he slid back with a laugh. He made a point of looking around. "Wow. This is something else, isn't it? I was told that you might be working on something good in here, but I never thought for an instant it would be _this_ good."

"This is none of your business, now please leave." She leaned around him. "Spencer! Call security and have this man removed from my Lab."

Jackson leaned down with a sneer. "Yeah. He's slightly indisposed right now."

She backed up quickly to the console. "What did you to do him?"

"Nothing," he said with a shrug. "He tripped and fell. Banged that nerd head of his. Not much I could do to stop him."

Rose immediately sprung into a run to check on her assistant, but was caught by the collar of her shirt. She yelped as she was pulled back into the chest of the Soldier and held firm on place by his arm across her neck.

"Oh, you're making such a monumental mistake," she growled as she lightly gave a struggle against his hold.

"Why, because your precious Doctor will get mad?" He laughed. "He's not available to you right now, is he? He's tied up in a meeting, Rose. One of those ones things that he can't get out of." He ran the night stick down her cheek. "Just so we're clear, I'm not scared of him," he purred darkly into her ear. "I don't fear the Time Lord."

She remained in place and shared a look with the TARDIS interface image. "Oh, but maybe you should give some thought to the danger posed by a Time Lady," she grunted as she threw head backward to crash hard against his nose. As he stumbled backward, she held both her hands together, and spun to smash him across the jaw.

She jogged a couple of steps away, and toward the console. She shook her hands violently as she whimpered. "Oh God, that hurt so much more than I was expecting it to."

Jackson spat bloodstained saliva at the ground. "Feisty, aren't you?"

Rose was rightly confused. "What are you doing," she snarled. "Why are you behaving like a comic book bag guy going after the hero? What's your purpose of coming in here and behaving like a dickhead?"

"Because this thing you're working on, it's alien tech and we want it."

"Who is we?"

The Assistant Director strode into the vault and set his hands on his hips. " _We_ , would include _me."_

"Oh-Kay," she breathed. "And just who are you, _exactly_? Because I'm just going to hazard a guess and say that you're not who we think you are."

"Quite right," he said with a smile. "I'm an old acquaintance of your Doctor."

She staggered back up against the console. "Oh for the love of God, please tell me that you're not the Master?"

Marcus raised his head and laughed. "Oh, why no." He dropped his head to look back down. "But he was my pupil." He moved to within only a foot of her. "As was your Doctor."

"You can't be Time Lord," she challenged. "He would have known. The Doctor would have felt your presence. You've worked together for twelve months now, he would have known."

"Well, that's the thing with regenerations," he countered. "You can hide if you need to." He leaned down to her. "Especially when you're pretending to be dead."

"This is the part where I am expected to say _oh shit_ , and cry out for the Doctor to help me, isn't it?"

Marcus laughed. "The fearless Rose Tyler, Bad Wolf, the child who inhaled the whole of the Time Vortex and wiped out an entire Dalek Fleet with the wave of her hand, reducing herself to calling to her Doctor for help?" He tsked loudly. "I am very disappointed in you."

"Well," she ventured with only a small shake in her voice. "It's such a good thing my goal in life isn't to impress a creepy Time Lord, isn't it?" She swallowed hard and looked to Nine for assistance. "Do something," she hissed. "I can't take on a Time Lord by myself."

"I am nonfunctional," Nine injected quickly. "If you're looking for a TARDIS to escape, I'm not going to be able to assist you. I have no access to the Eye of Harmony for the final Block Transfer Protocol to make me fully operational. Leave her alone."

"The energy is here," Marcus snarled as he grabbed her wrist and twisted it to drive her to her knees. "I can feel it running through your veins." He held up a small knife. "But am I going to release that power?"

She eyed the knife and weighed the potential scenarios through her mind. The blade glinted in the light of the TARDIS coral and she gaped with horror. "Rassilon, help me."

~~oooOOOooo~~

Spencer stirred from his heap on the floor. He let out a moan as he rubbed at his head and slapped together a dry tongue to the roof of his mouth.

"What the bloody heck happened?"

He looked up quickly to the open vault door and to the voices he could hear inside. He didn't scuffle to the door – he didn't have to. There was only one thing that he could do. He pulled out his phone and dialed for help.

~~oooOOOooo~~

The slow life. Wake up. Eat. Work. Sleep. Wake up again.

Was this what he had _really_ signed up for? After almost a millennium of freedom to travel all of Space and Time and experiencing the wonders of the entire universe. Endless miles of adventure and freedom.

…And now here he was sitting in a meeting with the Torchwood financial Board discussing the economic future of the Alien Weapons Research Division. If he had a knife right about now, he'd probably end it all.

He was slouched so deeply into his chair so as to have only the very rise of his butt sitting on the very edge of the chair, and the tops of his shoulders on the backrest, but he watched the discussion with mild attention. Ultimately, the outcome of the meeting would directly affect his department, so he had to at least feign interest.

He sorely needed an out to this hell. Something. Anything. Oh Rassilon send an invading alien army.

There was a vibration in his jacket pocket, and he covertly popped in his earpiece.

"Rose" he whispered hoarsely. "Save me. If you truly love me you will find a way to get me out of this meeting."

_"Doc, it's Spencer. Buddy, you gotto get down here to the lab."_

"Still in Hell right now, Spencer. But I've been assured that I can get the bus out of here in a half hour. What's up?"

_"It's Rose."_

He sat up fast. "Is she okay? He held up a hand to silence a querying Board Member.

_"No, mate. She's not. Seems like there's a Time Lord party going on that you weren't invited to."_

"Meaning?"

_"Borusa and Rassilon – those names mean anything to ya, man?"_

The Doctor was out of his chair immediately. He made no apology as he blasted out of the room. "Do what you can to keep her safe. I'm on my way."

 


	26. The Return of the Bad Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Borusa draws the ire of the Bad Wolf as the Doctor tries frantically to tame the fire.

_"I am nonfunctional," Nine injected quickly. "If you're looking for a TARDIS to escape, I'm not going to be able to assist you. I have no access to the Eye of Harmony for the final Block Transfer Protocol to make me fully operational. Leave her alone."_

_"The energy is here," Marcus snarled as he grabbed her wrist and twisted it to drive her to her knees. "I can feel it running through your veins." He held up a small knife. "But am I going to release that power?"_

_She eyed the knife and weighed the potential scenarios through her mind. The blade glinted in the light of the TARDIS coral and she gaped with horror. "Rassilon, help me."_

Marcus had to laugh. "Rassilon, Rose? You call for  _him_?" He was beside himself. "That arrogant megalomaniac can't help you – he  _wouldn't_  help you even if he was able."

Rose looked with desperate eyes of instruction to the TARDIS interface. "Don't be so sure of that," she grunted as she tried to pull her hand free. "I'm to be the savior of Gallifrey," she grunted. "I'm under his protection. If I call him, he will come.  Am I right, TARDIS?"

God. That sounded stupid even to her.

Of course Marcus didn't appear to buy into the thin excuse. He brought the knife down along her forearm, drawing a bloody line from wrist to elbow. He grinned at her cry of pain. "Release the Wolf, Rose. Spew that energy forth and give me my escape from this pitiful planet."

"If you want escape, that can be rightly arranged," a deep voice crooned darkly from the side of the command console. "How swiftly will depend on any further attempt to injure that child."

Marcus coughed in shock and spluttered as he dropped Rose's wrist and took a step backward. "Rassilon!"

Rose gaped an open mouth as her wrist was released. She shuffled back toward a coral strut and held at her bleeding arm as she took in the scene before her. Nine was no longer standing beside the console. In his place stood a man she could only assume was the feared Grand Master himself. Dressed in long crimson robes, open to reveal a large golden pendant in the centre of his chest and holding a golden staff, he truly looked to be an all-powerful Lord. And, although she knew that the image ahead of her was merely the TARDIS interface playing along to her demand for assistance, she felt completely and utterly intimidated by him. She couldn't help but cower ever so slightly.

Rassilon pointed a large hand encased in a metal gauntlet toward the unnamed Time Lord. "Borusa," he snarled deeply. "My traitor."

"You mean your  _pet_ ," Borusa snarled in response. "Your failed little science experiment."

“You dies,” Rassilon growled.  “You were destroyed with the power of the Tantalus Eye.”

“Yes.  You thought so, didn’t you?  You hoped that it killed me.”  He opened his arms in presentation of himself. "Well look at me, Grand Master and  _God of all Time Lords_. I survived. I regenerated and lived a good life without you in it. I escaped your reach."

"Alive though you may be, Traitor.  It’s a shame that your mind remained lost in stasis," Rassilon snapped back. "You were a madman back on Gallifrey, and you remain one now."

"At your hand," he charged.

"At your  _own_  hand," Rassilon corrected with mirth. "Your insatiable hunger for immortality and power drove you insane."

“Like you can talk.”  He curled a lip and looked with disgust to the almighty Time Lord Master.  He licked at his lip and smirked.  “I'm not insane, though. I am in full control of my facilities.”

"You speak nonsense. You stand before me now, with a wish to harm this daughter of Gallifrey in order to come right back to within my arm's reach," he snarled as he curled his gauntleted hand into a fist and raised it high. "That is the epitome of insanity, Borusa.  But, I find myself of the mind to allow this, if only for the right to get my revenge on you."

Borusa narrowed a glare toward the image of Rassilon. "You call me a traitor and talk of vengeance" he threatened as he pointed a finger of accusation toward Rose. "Yet you stand before me to protect the child bride of the Doctor – the man who stands as Gallifrey's murderer."

"Hey," she countered with a light wave. "Don't drag me into this, okay? You two just keep on … _oh_ … whatever _this_ is." She shot a look up to the door as the Doctor skidded into the vault with a squeak of rubber soles on tiled floor. "Doctor!"

The look on his face was one of pure horror. His eyes were wide and wild, and his brows high as he looked between the two arguing Time Lords. His horrified gaze shifted down to Rose, who sat on her hip in the crook of a coral strut, tenderly supporting her injured arm.

"Rose. What have you done?"

She shook her head quickly. "Nothing. I didn't do  _anything_."

"What did you _do_?" He demanded again in a disturbed and angry voice.

"TARDIS," Rose snapped in a growl. While she was talking to the machine, her eyes were locked on her lover. "The Doctor's here.  You can stop now."

The image of Rassilon appeared to blow a breath of relief and then shimmered in swirling colours back into the image of Nine. "I don't desire to take that form for another moment, Rose. Please don't ever request that of me again."

"But you do such a convincing job of it," she said with a smile as she stroked at the coral to her side. "You saved me, sweetheart. Thank you."

Borusa reddened at the disappearance of Rassilon.  He was livid. "You deceive me? A TARDIS and a human child?"

"Apparently the TARDIS and Rose Tyler are very good at deception," the Doctor snipped with a look to Nine as he circled Borusa. "You were supposed to be dead. You were killed during the war!"

"Yeah, right," Rose snarled lightly as she drew herself to a stand. "One thing I'm fast learning about you bloody Time Lords is that you're pretty good at outrunning death's reach. Even when your planet explodes, it doesn't." She shouldered past the Doctor and snatched his sonic screwdriver from his pocket. "I'm  _fine_  by the way. Thanks for asking. What's the setting to stitch myself up?"

"1310D," he answered around a clearing of his throat. "Why, what happened?" His eyes flared to see the state of her arm. He snatched out to cradle it in both hands. The look upon his face was pained and apologetic. "Oh, Rose. I'm so sorry."

She pointed at Borusa. "Why should you apologise?  You didn't do it. He did."

The Doctor's face morphed to fury as he turned and leered into Borusa's face. "Why go after her?"

"Why else," he answered. "But to unleash Time, power this TARDIS, and fly away from this mundane, pitiful existence." He pounded the butt of his hand against his forehead. “Oh but I have tried. Tried. Tried. Nothing can get me away from here."  He kept his fist on his forehead and peered toward Rose.  “But now.  Oh yes.  The solution is right before me.”

"And you think that by hurting her you'll unleash the wolf?" He shook his head. "It doesn't work that way. She has protections in place to prevent that happening."  He slapped at his chest with an open palm.  “I’ve protected her.”

He shifted his eyes, but not his hand, to peer around either side of his wrist toward The Doctor. "Some walls can be shattered, Doctor."

"You were my professor of mind shielding techniques, you know how good I can be at setting those barriers up. The protections I put in place can't be broken." He took hold of the collar of Borusa's shirt and hauled him up to put them face to face. "Now. You hurt my Rose, I’m going to hurt you."

"That's such a human thing to say," Borusa chided with a laugh. He shoved the Doctor from him. "Did you want to grab your crotch and dramatically thumb your nose at the same time, swagger, then take a swing at me? Apes. All of them. Damn Apes who haven't yet evolved into anything worth nurturing."

"You're a father to human children." He saw a slight break in Borusa's hard façade and decided to run with it. "And that's what you consider your son and daughter to be? Apes?"

Borusa lowered his head and looked up at the Doctor with a wobble in his head and a look through his brows. "They’re not mine, Doctor." He straightened up and slapped both hands on his chest. "This body isn't even mine. Lumbering, heavy, vessel that it is."

The Doctor stood very still for a long moment as he digested the words spat out by Borusa. "What," he finally muttered with a curl across his entire top lip that bared his top front teeth. "What are you talking about?"

"I disintegrated into pure telepathic energy because of the energies within the Tantalus Eye. Destroying the Daleks gave me the shockwave push that I needed to escape Gallifrey." The side of his mouth lifted in a smile. "Your final act of destruction, _oh_ , how that opened walls across the dimensions. For a infantismal moment in time the barriers fell and I was free."

"What are you saying," he questioned unsurely.

"That I found freedom from Rassilon's experiment and from Gallifrey's war with the Daleks." He grinned a dark smile. "I found myself in this realm, a new world. One that I could conquer, and so I took this body." The smile fell into disgust.

"But you learned that humans don't fall so easy, didn’t you?" the Doctor breathed with slight victory. "Their will is strong, isn't it?"

"For a primitive and sorely inferior species, yes. I have to admit the task wasn't as easy as I thought." He huffed in annoyance. "Sure, some are weak willed and easy to manipulate, but as a majority…"

The Doctor smiled. "There are reasons I love this planet like I do; why I admire the human race." He looked to Rose, who was being attended to by Spencer, with an expression of pure adoration. "And why I fell in love with one human in particular."

"Love has always been a destructive power," Borusa countered. "It's destroyed worlds."

The Doctor snapped his attention back to his fellow Time Lord. "It's also brought them together. It's why this planet is so strong, because its people have this intense passion for one another." He took a stride toward Borusa and held out his hand. "I can save you," he offered. "Rose and I. We can help you."

Rose snorted. "Please, no," she whispered under her breath.

The Doctor ignored her. "Borusa. You are brilliant; a genius. Together, imagine what we can do. We are the last of the Time Lords. We're so few.  We have to work together to protect what we have left of Gallifrey. The knowledge. The wisdom of our people honoured across all of Time and Space.  Together we can do it."

For a minute second Borusa looked to take the metaphorical hand of assistance from the Doctor. There was a splintering fracture in his maniacal expression.

"Rose," the Doctor urged. "Tell him. Tell him that we can help him."

"Yeah," she muttered blandly as Spencer completed bandaging her arm. " _Totally_."

"You can be more convincing than that."

Rose stood up and walked slowly toward the Doctor. She remained a couple of feet behind him and put her fakest smile on her face. "If the Doctor wants to help you, Borusa, then take his offer. I stand by his side with this. He can help you. He _will_  help you."

Borusa looked between Rose and the Doctor. There was genuine pleading in the eyes of the Time Lord. The Doctor wanted to help.  The Human's expression, however, held far less eagerness to help out.  He found it interesting to note her steeled stance of defiance against her own instinct and desires.  Her posture told him that regardless of what she wanted, she wouldn't ever deny her Time Lord anything that he wanted; including helping out a mad man.

His eye twitched. Such blind devotion.

"Your human," he slid a look to the Doctor. "Her love for you is such that she would give anything for you. Even sacrifice herself for you, wouldn't she."

Rose licked at her lip. "I would," she affirmed. "I would give my life for him."

"No she wouldn't." The Doctor shook his head. "I would never allow it."

"I don't believe you have the choice," Borusa muttered with slight victory. His eyes shifted back to the Doctor. "Do you want to know why you never received the topmost scores in my classes, Doctor?"

Such an abrupt change in topic caused a deep seeded worry inside of the Doctor, but he coolly played along. "Why's that?"

"You were a very diligent study," Borusa stated with a slight twitch in his lip. "Brilliant."

"Thanks, but…"

"But your problem, Doctor, was that while you could imagine just about every possible scenario, there were always those very small and ignored minute probabilities in your final work."

“Thank you for the critique, Honoured Professor.  It has been such a long time since I received a grade on any of my work.” He curled a lip in annoyance and frustration. "But to get to the point that I assume you are trying to make, I do have to ask: Is this actually going somewhere?"

"Oh it is, I assure you," he said with a fast darkening grin. "Take the telepathic protection of your beloved as an example."

The Doctor shifted uncomfortably. "Oh-kay."

"She is so tightly protected against the beast within her rising at her own duress. Oh, the barriers of a Prydonian Telepathic Master have it locked it up so tightly." He leaned in a little. "But you forgot about something."

"Leave her alone," he snarled in warning.

"Oh," Borusa laughed with a step backward. "She's very safe from me, Doctor. Very.  _Very_. Safe." His laugh stopped. "For the time being, of course.”  He stepped closer.  “But _you_. Oh. _You_. What you failed to factor in to your protective equation, young Lord, were the lengths she would go to protect you."

"Oh no," the Doctor hissed with rapid realization. "No you don’t."

Borusa held up his knife and quickly plunged it into the Doctor's shoulder. He grinned a maniacal grin to Rose as the Doctor let out an anguished cry. "Come on out, little wolf!  The Time Lords want to play."

"Rose," the Doctor cried out as he fell to a knee. "No!"

The searing energy hidden inside Rose's mind behind the Doctor's shields immediately shattered through their barricades and burst forward. Rose felt her cheeks flame and her eyes burn gold. She lunged forward and shoved hard into the chest of Borusa.

"Leave him alone!"

The excitement within Borusa was palpable. He grinned wildly to see the amber light shining in the eyes of Rose Tyler. "Oh, you are  _beautiful_ ," he sneered as he inhaled deeply to draw in the terrific scent of raw vortex energy. "A magnificent Goddess of Time."

"You wanna play," Rose sang with a haunted smile that slowly eked down to a flat expression as she glared down her target. "Then come play." She flicked her fingers with the invitation of a Shaolin monk inviting the fight.

The Doctor got to his feet and ran to put himself in between Rose and Borusa. He put his hands on her shoulders and coaxed her to look at him. "Rose. Rose, look at me. You need to stop this. Push it back down. Fight it, love. Please."  He shifted his hands to slide his fingers toward her temples in an attempt to connect and fight off the Vortex power.  “Come to me.”

Her head ticked and she shook off his advance. "But I want you safe, my Doctor," she said softly with the most affectionate expression in her eyes as she reached up her hands and stroked his jaw. Her eyes dropped and she gasped at the wound on his shoulder. “Oh my love.” She gave him a sorrowful look before she pressed her lips against it.  The wound sealed beneath her lips and her eyes locked hard on the man who was once a stoic and hard individual, but now danced around like a maniac. "You.”  She slowly raised her hand. "I will destroy you. I don't care if you  _are_  among the last of the Time Lords, you will fall at my hand."

"Oh yes," he cheered. "More, little wolf. Bring it all out – burst free!"

"It's going to kill her," the Doctor yelled as he grabbed at her arm to stop her from making what he knew would be a big mistake. "Stop it, Rose. Look at me. Please. Look at me. Ignore him. Baby, please."

Her eyes snapped back to his and her head tilted with a light laugh. "Did you just call me,  _baby_ , Doctor?"

"Yeah. I guess I did," he said with a soft smile and then turned up his nose.  “But.  Nope.  Don’t like it.  It doesn’t sound right.  Never saying it again.  _Love_ works, though?  Can I do that?  Can I call you _Love_?  You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

She winced and stumbled. "Doctor. Help me. It's burning. I can't stop it. I can't." Her eyes then snatched back to Borusa and she rose again to her full height. "Oh, but I'll stop you.  Maybe that will stop _this_."

The Doctor looked to Nine. "TARDIS, you have to help me out here. Run the new calculations – tell me how I can stop this."

"She needs to expel that energy, Doctor," he answered back. "Because she's going to burn if this keeps up."

"Yeah.  That helps.  Thanks for telling me something that  _I didn't know_ ," he snarled sarcastically in response. Again he grabbed for Rose and pulled her to him. He drew her face to his with a touch of his fingers to her chin. He hid his horror at the heat of her skin. "Hello," he said with his trademark grin. "Need a Doctor?"

"I thought you wanted me to cool down," she purred cheekily. She playfully nipped a bite in the air and struggled away from him. Her expression fell to dark again. "First things first, though."

"Now now, Rose," the Doctor sang gently as he hooked her hand in his and guided her back to him. He put his hand on her hip and held her as though dancing. "Just ignore him. Let's just be you and me. Doctor and Rose." He touched his cheek to her hair and swayed them lightly. "Tell me. Have you ever made love in a TARDIS?" At her shudder he whispered in her ear. "No? Neither have I. But we could, you know. And it'll be brilliant." He stared urgently to Nine. "Absolutely brilliant."

Nine nodded his head. "That’s it.  Keep her calm. Figure out a way to share it between you both, blast it my way, and it might be survivable."

The Doctor winced a moment, then pulled back and looked into Rose's face. "Oh. Figuring it out is the fun part,  _right_  Rose?" He dipped her deeply and pulled her up quickly back against him. "How are we feeling?"

"I could do this forever," she breezed dreamily.

"Forever," the Doctor whispered. “You and me.  Doctor and Rose Tyler.  Forever.”  His eyes widened as the answer flew into him. "That's it. _Forever_."

"This is so saccharine that I'm going into diabetic shock," Borusa snapped. "Come on, Doctor. You want that TARDIS up and running as much as I do.  Let's pull that Vortex from her. Let's rip it out of her!"

He felt her stiffen in his hold. "Oh come on," he growled toward Borusa. "Don't push her any further.  You’ll kill her!"

"Sacrifice the girl.  There's plenty more of them out there that can wet your whistle, Doctor."

"You filthy pig," Rose growled out as she shoved off the Doctor and stalked him down. "I thought Time Lords were supposed to be respectful and dignified."

"You haven't met too many of them, have you?"

"I've met enough, I reckon." Her hair whipped wildly at her face, and her eyes shone. Her smile was slow and dark. "Did you know that I see your every atom. Every little piece of energy. I can see where you begin and end. I can see where the man resides, and his parasite lives." She snapped her arms apart. "And for your crimes I divide you into body and soul!"

"Rose. No!  Don’t do this!"

The chest of the Assistant Director surged forward as bright light and energy ripped out through his open blazer.

"I scatter you," she sang hauntingly. "Back into Time’s embrace where you belong." Her golden eyes shifted to the heavy thud of a human form dropping to the ground. "But you.  I bring you life," she finished as she pointed a hand to body on the ground. "For your son and daughter."

Rose suddenly lurched backward as the hot cough of gun shots rang out through the vault. She felt the hit of each of three bullets into her chest and stumbled to her knees. Her head raised up, full of confusion and heartbreak. She was only vaguely aware of the Doctor's horrified scream of her name, and of him falling beside her to pull her into him. She was numb, but she knew that he'd laid her on her back and ripped open her shirt to look at the damage.

As her golden stare darkened, she heard his heart wrenching, single sob. Somewhere in her thickening haze she heard his voice begging for help, begging for her to please regenerate.

"But I don't know how," she thought tearfully as her entire world went dark.

 


	27. Regeneration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How can the Doctor pull Rose out of this?

The Doctor stood still in place and watched in horror as Rose went after Borusa yet again. To say that the behaviour of Rose was unnerving and terrifying was sorely understating the situation. This time around, Bad Wolf was horribly twisted and out of control, and he had no idea if he would be able to settle her down long enough to do what he knew had to be done. There was a solution. He knew it. He saw the answer as clear as day. Even the TARDIS interface could see it and urged him onward.

But could he do it? Did he even _want_ to do it?

Oh who was he kidding? Of course he did. _Oh Rassilon yes_ , he wanted to do this. All of time and space wanted him to do this. He knew that Rose – when she was in her right mind – that she wanted it to. She’d agreed to it less than an hour earlier.

He snapped himself out of his own distraction and held out his hand to the stalking Wolf. "Rose," he called disarmingly. "Come here, Love." His eyes flared as wide as his mouth as he took in the scene before him. His heart dropped into his stomach. "Oh no."

Her whole body shone with golden energy that rushed and shattered like crashing waves up from her feet, through her chest and along her arms. Although there was no wind inside the vault, her hair flew wildly around her face, glowing as bright as the light inside her eyes.

"Did you know that I can see your every atom? Every little piece of energy. I can see where you begin and end. Where the man resides." She dramatically snapped her arms outward. "And I divide you into body and soul."

No! She couldn't do this! She wasn't in control. She'd be horrified to know that she'd killed a man. "Rose," he cried out desperately. "Stop!"

The Doctor didn't see the moment that man and soul separated. His eyes were instead caught and locked on Jackson, who stood in a hunch with a gun held in both hands. Horrifically, his aim was locked onto Rose. The Doctor launched into a run, with his mind only on getting in between Rose and the gun and knocking the weapon from Jackson's hold. He managed to claw his hands around Jackson's wrist to haul the gun to the ground, but not before three shots had been squeezed out. He struggled to hold the soldier's aim of the gun into the ground and emptied the remainder of the magazine into the tiled floor.

The Doctor looked back up in time to see Rose's chest propel back against the strike of bullets. Her arms and head flailed forward as her feet fell out from beneath her. He screamed out her name in horrified desperation as her white shirt immediately turned a deep crimson. It was a cry so strangled, so agonizing, that it took all of the breath inside his chest to call to her. His movement toward her was so fast that he didn't register that he'd raised his elbow into Jackson's face and brought the big man down to his knees with the strike.

The Doctor slid across the floor on his knees to catch Rose as she crumpled to the ground. She fell heavy against his chest and knees with a sickening wet thud and gasping rattled breath.

"Rose," he panted in devastated horror as blood bubbled up through her lips and rolled down her cheek toward her ear. "Oh Gods. No. Rose. Hold on. Hold on for me, okay? Please just hold on." His head shot up to the doorway, where Spencer stood frozen in shock. "Spencer," he yelled. "Find someone. Get some help."

Rose pulled in a bubbled and rattled breath. The Doctor looked back down to her and tried to give her an encouraging smile. "I'm here Rose. I’ve got you," he said gently as he lay her down on her back on the floor. "Look at me. Concentrate on my voice. You're going to be okay. Just a knick." He bit at his lip as he grabbed hold of the collar of her shirt with both hands and then tore it open along the centre of her chest with a single hard pull. He couldn't hold back the sob that rose into his throat when he saw the gaping wounds in the valley between her breasts.

He rocked back onto his knees and covered his mouth with a bloody hand. He choked back another sob as he slid his hand under her neck to pull her up against his chest. He rocked her lightly.

"Please Rose, don't go," he begged tearfully. "Stay with me, please." He shot a look to Nine. "Help me. Please, help her. Do something!"

"That's non survivable, even with medical intervention," Nine muttered sadly behind him. "Doctor. I'm sorry."

"She can regenerate," he growled in reply. "She's Time Lord. She just needs to regenerate, and we'll be okay, yeah?" He smoothed at her hair and looked tearfully at her closed eyes. "Did you hear that, Rose. Just regenerate. Please. Just regenerate. Stay with me." He pulled her face into his chest and rocked her back and forth. He couldn't fight the flood of tears down his cheeks. "You promised me forever, Rose. This isn't forever." His body shook. "We've got so much left to do together, Rose. You can't leave now. We're just starting out." He pulled her tightly up against him and finally collapsed around her and wept, rocking them both back and forth.

Pete Tyler burst into the room, flanked by three security guards, Spencer, and their medical team. He growled a long and horrified cry as he stumbled along the floor to reach his daughter. He knew the prognosis was grim. To see the Doctor – the proud Time Lord – crumpled, sobbing, and wrapped around her limp form, he knew it meant that Rose was either already lost, or she wasn't going to make it.

"Doctor," he managed around his own agony. "Is she?" He hitched in a mortified breath when the Doctor raised his face; distraught and drenched with blood and tears. His face tightened into a grimace and he shook his head. "Oh. God. No. Please no."

The Doctor's body shuddered, shook and then convulsed as he collapsed against Rose's limp body again. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. There's nothing I can do." He pulled back again and looked into her face once more. "Try, Rose. Please try. Regenerate. Please."

A Medic dropped to a knee beside the Doctor. "Let me take a look," he urged softly. "Let's see if we can help her."

The Doctor shook his head and held her tighter. "There's nothing you can do."

"At least let me try."

Pete set his hand on the Doctor's shoulder. "Let her go, Doctor. Let the medical teams try to help." He shifted around to try and pry the Doctor's grip away from Rose. "Come on. There's nothing you can do from here. It's up to the professionals now."

A shattered scream suddenly threw every man in the room off guard, especially the two men guarding Rose. The Doctor and Pete looked up with horror to see Jackie at the doorway, flanked by Marissa, with her hands at her mouth and furious dread in her eyes. "What happened to my baby?"

"Jackie," the Doctor peeped as she launched from the doorway and flew to the floor beside her daughter. "I'm so sorry."

Jackie looked at her child. She hovered a shaking hand over her bloodied chest and gulped back heaving sobs at the sight of her lifeless daughter. "Rose. _Sweetheart_. What did he do to you?" She raised furious eyes and shot a glare at the Doctor. "What did you do to her?"

He shook his head innocently. "Jackie. I didn't. I tried to stop it."

She gave a double-fisted shove into the Doctor's chest. "Get away from her!" She continued to push at him even as he fell back away from Rose. "You! Ever since she met _you_. Danger! You promised me that you'd keep her safe. _Promised me"_

He stumbled back onto his ass and allowed the onslaught to continue. Jackie needed to lash out at someone, and whether or not it was true, he felt as though he deserved it. All he could do was mutter apologies until she finally collapsed against him and dissolved completely.

"Jackie. I'm so sorry," he vowed as he embraced her shuddering body. "I'm so, so very sorry."

Jack raised her head from his chest and nodded. "You too, love," she admitted with a sob as she turned back to watch the medics scrambling to help her daughter. She knew it was pointless.

"Go say goodbye," he told her with a sniff. "While she still has consciousness left within her, tell her you love her."

Jackie nodded and crawled along the floor toward her daughter. She covered her mouth with her hand only briefly before she dropped her head down to her daughter's chest and sobbed.

The Doctor remained in a seat on the ground next to a coral strut, watching with heartbreak Jackie’s agony over the loss of her child. He shared her pain of loss, but chose to sit back and let her mourn with her husband. Slowly he closed his eyes and dropped his head, desperate to find a way to once again lock up the anguish of losing the most important thing in his life.

He shuddered to feel the feather-light touch of his Mother's hand on his knee. "My son."

Her voice shook the upset straight back to the surface, and the Doctor crumpled again. "I can't lose her, Mother. Not again. Not like this."

She took his cheek in her hand and guided his tear stained eyes to hers. "Then don't."

"What can I possibly do?" He leaned back on the strut and covered his forehead in his hand. " _Rassilon_ ," he cursed. "Even if we could pull her out of this, the Vortex would refire inside her, and it'd kill her anyway."

"Then share in her pain," she charged in a hard voice. "You are a Time Lord, Doctor. Use that brain of yours. Be that brilliant Prydonian Master I know you to be. Be your father's son, and pull the woman you love back to you."

“But…”

“Don’t argue with me, young Lord,” she growled. “You will not give up on her.”

"Do you _really_ think this is the time for some harsh love, Mother?" He pointed with both hands toward his fallen beloved. " _Now_?"

"Indeed," she challenged. “Because if I don’t, you’ll lose everything. You don’t have the privilege of being able to grieve right now. You’re out of time.”

The Doctor gave her an aggrieved glare and rose to his feet. "Most parents," he hissed as he stalked toward her and snatched her scarf from around her neck. "Most parents in this instance would hold their child and comfort them in their pain." He rolled his eyes. "But no. Not a Mother from Gallifrey – Rassilon forbid you nuture me– it just ends up another moment to give lecture."

He looked at the brilliant crimson and gold fabric in the light. "Silk. Perfect." He pointed to the TARDIS interface as he moved to the console and set coordinates. "If – and it's an unlikely if – this works. Then don't waste any time. Get a message to his TARDIS and get her to have him to meet us here."

Nine nodded. "Understood."

“Can you use her to get us through?”

“I believe so.”

“Good.” He rolled his head on his neck and moved toward Rose with determination in his stride. “Now or never.”

"Straighten yourself up, Son," Marissa warned him with a smile. "You look atrocious."

He ignored her as he moved in behind Jackie and dropped to a crouch slightly off to her side. "Jackie," he called in little over a hoarse whisper.

She twisted to take his hand in hers and pull him into a hug. "She's gone, Doctor. My baby's gone."

"We may have one last chance to save her." He petted her arm lightly and then indicated Rose with a jut of his chin. "May I, please?"

She settled backward and gave him a nod. "Sure, love. But it won't work. She's gone. Just say good bye and tell her you love her."

He knelt on her right side and gently picked up Rose's left hand. Along her palm he placed the end of the scarf and carefully wrapped it three times around her hand. "Pete Tyler," he said with an even and controlled tone as he raised his eyes to Peter. "Will you give and gladly consent that your daughter and I come together as one?"

"Yeah, mate," Pete graveled out as he put his hand on the Doctor's shoulder. "I give and gladly consent."

Jackie looked highly confused. "What's happening?"

The Doctor looked to Jackie as he wrapped the other end of the scarf around his right hand. "Will you give and gladly consent, Jackie Tyler?"

She shook her head. "What're you doing? This isn't … What's this about?"

"I made a promise to Rose," the Doctor vowed giving Jackie an earnest look. "I swore to her that she was going to become my wife, and I'm not letting this stop me from fulfilling my promise to her. Please say that you give and gladly consent."

"Yeah. Sure," she breezed softly in understanding. "I give and gladly consent."

The Doctor joined their silk-wrapped hands, fingers intertwined, and leaned down to press his forehead against hers.

"With the consent of both parents of the bride, I call upon the Council of the Time Lords to bless and accept our union."

His Mother took place at his side. "As a member of Council, I approve of this union and appeal to Rassilon of Prydon, the Grand Master and Deity of all Time Lords to allow these two children of the house of Lungbarrow the privilege of a shared line of Time. Ensure that their bond last for all eternity, throughout all of Time and Space. See to it that no force – not even the curse of death – shall separate them."

The Doctor pressed a kiss to Rose's temple and shifted his mouth to her right ear as his hand slid to her face to touch fingers to her temple and his thumb to her cheek. "I am going to whisper something in your ear, Rose," he said softly. "Hear every part of it. Don't ever forget it, and never, ever say it." His closed his eyes as his voice ghosted across her ear and initiated connection with her mind. "I've just told you my name," he promised. "With that I name you my wife." He nudged her mind with his. "Just say you will."

She gasped underneath him.

"Come back to me, Rose," he urged, spurred on by her gasp and by the increasing tingle of her mind opening to his. "Connect with me."

Another deep gulping inhale and her eyes flashed open.

"Be one with me, Rose."

Her hand snapped up to his face, clutching at him like a talon. Her breath panted, and her eyes were wide and fired. "Doctor," she gasped. "I will."

Golden energy surrounded them both as the Doctor slowly coaxed his bride from where she lay on the ground to stand in front of him. They painted a haunting image, a silhouette of two lovers with their joined hands held at their chests and their minds merged with the touch of their hands to each other's face.

Jackie's hands covered her mouth as she watched her daughter and the Doctor rise to a stand in front of her. "Oh my God. Pete. Our little girl…"

"She's alive," he croaked. "That sonovabitch did it. He actually did it."

"It's a miracle," Jackie squeaked. She moved toward the pair, but was halted in her approach by Marissa.

"No," Marissa said sternly. "You must wait until the joining is complete. They'll let you know when they're ready."

"When you say _joining,_ " Jackie asked quietly. "Is this going to be one of those Time Lord things that is going to end up much more complicated and potentially dangerous than a Human union?"

"It is an unbreakable bond, Jackie."

"In other words, yes," she sighed. "I should have known."

Pete leaned down to kiss at her ear. "Jackie. Don't question it. It saved our daughter's life. It pulled her back from the dead."

"I love that man," Jackie breezed wiping a tear from her cheek.

The Doctor and Rose separated from their connection, both with identical inhales. He slid his hand from her temple to cup at her jaw. "And now," he said with a smile. "I kiss my bride." With careful tenderness he pressed his mouth against hers to kiss her for the first time as his wife.

Rose flung her arm around his shoulder and hauled him in for a far deeper, and much less tender kiss. She grinned against his mouth when they separated. "If you're going to do it, Doctor. Make it count."

He slid his hand to her waist and laughed lightly against her ear. "Just wait until the wedding night, I'll make sure that it counts," he promised. He looked over her shoulder to the trio of family and smiled to them as he snatched Rose in against him in a hug. Inside he could feel the building burn of the Vortex rising inside him, rampaging against every cell inside his body.

Jackie broke formation with the intent to run and hug the newlyweds, but was immediately stopped in her tracks as the Doctor raised his hand and shook his head quickly. "Jackie. No. Not yet," he called. "That was the _easy_ bit." He pulled back from Rose and looked with glowed eyes into her face, not surprised to see her eyes as alight as his.

"Together," he said along a breath. "We have to get this out of us, or we're both going to burn."

"It’s never simple with us, is it, Doctor," she sighed as she stepped to his right, mindful of their still-joined hands, and nestled against his shoulder. "Never easy."

"Easy would be boring," he countered with a laugh. "Where's the fun in simple?" He clutched her hand tightly. "Now, concentrate the energy thataway," he coached with a point toward the TARDIS. "Give it all to her. Hold none of it back."

"Okay," she breathed worriedly with a nod.

Both the Doctor and Rose inhaled a deep breath within themselves, and then expelled the brightly glowing Vortex power toward the TARDIS with a long and draining exhale. They both staggered backward as the power released and was caught in the heart of the TARDIS.

The bright pulsing of the machine, and a whir and whine, filled the vault. Rose looked to the machine with proud eyes of a mother, the Doctor with a wide grin of excitement.

That excitement was dashed, however, at a frightened peep from Rose. The Doctor shot a fast and worried glance toward her. "You okay?"

She shook her head as she looked down at her arms. She turned her hand in front of her, concerned by the rippling yellow light glowing out from underneath. "Doctor," she queried in panic. "It didn't work!"

He winced. "Ahhh. Yeah," he managed. He blew out a breath and turned toward her. He set his hands on her shoulders and cleared his throat. His expression was apologetic. "Do you remember, back after the gamestation, when I took the vortex from you?"

She nodded.

"And do you remember what happened after that?"

Realization hit, and she backed away from him. "Oh no. No. No. No." She shook her head. "No. I can't. We can't. _You_ can't!"

"We don't have a choice." He snatched her in for a tight hug. "Every cell inside our bodies are dying, Rose. You've just come back from being shot. It's the only way to go on." He nestled his cheek against her ear. "Time Lord trickery, remember? We do this to cheat death."

"But I'm scared," she whimpered.

"So am I," he admitted quietly. "I always am, and I'm a bit of a pro at this." He clutched her tighter. "But I have an idea. Something that means we can keep our pretty faces this time around. Because," he adjusted his blood stained tie. "Well, look at us. We're an amazing looking couple."

"We are, aren't we?"

He nodded with a grin and a wink. "Gorgeous." He leaned down to kiss her and took a look at his hand. Like hers it shimmered with yellow. He pulled back and clutched her hand tightly. "Well," he croaked with a wince. "Let's get it over and done with."

Her hand tightened around his. She looked to him with an expression of absolute devotion. "Just in case I. I don't. Just know that I love you, Doctor."

"I love you-" his words cut off sharply as the regenerative forces took hold of them both and exploded from their neck and hands with bright, dripping flames.

Every person in the room shielded their eyes from the searing light of the regenerating Time Lord and Lady. The heat of it blasted by them all like a shockwave from bomb blast.

The Doctor fought against a total regeneration as he felt the final healing forces come to completion. With the effort of thirteen men, he hauled up their joined hands to lever the energies toward their TARDIS. "Channel it, Rose," he yelled through gritted teeth. "Toward. TARDIS."

They blasted the TARDIS console with their combined regenerative powers. The console lit up with brilliant flaming light and white-hot sparks. A vacuum pulled around them both as the massive structure dragged and spun into itself, taking with it all light and sound. There was an almighty and brilliant orange and yellow flash and then the coral structure was gone.

In its place stood a grey metal cylinder with a pair of doors at its centre.

Both the Doctor and Rose staggered backward out of the power as though released from a game of Tug-o-War. The Doctor very quickly righted himself. Rose, however, fell backward, unconscious, into the Doctor's chest. He very quickly dipped to slide an arm across the underneath of her knee, and picked her up into his chest.

"Rose," Jackie blurted in panic. "Is she?"

"Regeneration coma," the Doctor answered quickly. "She had bigger injuries than I had to deal with. It's going to take her some time to heal fully from it."

Jackie stepped forward to touch the face of her daughter. The Doctor shook his head and took a step backward. "No." He looked over his shoulder at the TARDIS. "We've got to go."

"Go where," Jackie demanded.

"Rose needs time to heal," he answered. "And she can't get that here." He looked upward. "I'll take us into the Vortex, and she can sleep there."

"But!"

"We'll be back in ten minutes, Jackie," he promised with a smile. "Don't worry."

"Yeah, that's only if you know how to fly that thing," she challenged him. "And your past record isn't that spiffy." She looked at Marissa. "Twelve hours was actually twelve months I'll have you know. Damn thought I'd lost my rose, I did."

"Brand new TARDIS," he said with a wink. "This one'll behave. And if not, I'll let you have at her, how's that?"

Jackie poked him in the chest. "You bring her back safe, Doctor. You hear me?"

"I promise you." He pulled Rose tighter against his chest. "Now. We really should get going." He looked to his Mother. "Are you coming with us; or are you waiting here?"

She hooked her arm through Jackie's. "Your new Mother holds a ransom as precious to you as the ransom you hold to her. She shall keep me safe if you do the same for her daughter." She looked to Jackie. "Am I right?"

"Quite right."

The Doctor smiled a wide and toothy grin. "Right-oh. Be back in ten minutes, okay?"

Marissa gave him a nod. "Make sure that you have your father with you on your return."

"Yes, mum." He lightly bowed as he walked to the doors of the TARDIS and waited for them to open to let them in. "Okay girl," he cooed as he stepped across the threshold. "First things first. The heavy metal cylinder look has got to go." He blew out a long breath. “And then we have a date to keep with your sister.”


	28. Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Kasterborous.  
> Tentoo and Rose meet up with an old friend, and a few new ones.

Soft warm winds whistled across an unkempt field of grass that weaved a spiraling path through a stand of old growth trees. The trees were obviously not native to the area, but towered tall with winding rich brown trunks and glimmering leaves of silver. Each carefully planted tree bowed a lean over a dusty and long disused path. The bow of the trees was such that if one was to rise up onto their toes, they could easily reach up and pluck a spring flower or a touch at a summer leaf. The disused path borders were alive with broad, red, wild flowers and encircled around a proud and aged house that stood tall overlooking a crystalline blue lake.

A postcard would not do this home justice. The entry way was a wide staircase that rose almost immediately from the front gate and led up to a massive wooden deck surrounded by a three-foot high wrap of railing with intricately designed panels that spoke of tales and stories in time.

The cut in the panels channeled the light winds from the lake into a glorious symphony of whistles that sang a hauntingly beautiful song. Usually that song was sung in uninterrupted melody listened to only by the birds and woodland creatures burrowing in the gardens below. Today, however, the song was interrupted by the shifting whining inhale and exhale of a materializing TARDIS machine.

There was a cry of birds and a sudden din of a flock bursting from the trees as the rich blue Police Box materialized in the garden to the left of the entrance staircase to the home. There was a creak of a door in desperate need of oiling, and a pale and slightly gaunt young face popped out to look around. His shoulder emerged slowly, followed cautiously by his hip and body, and he ran his hand over his floppy bangs as he frowned and shook his head.

"Well. This is unexpected," he breathed as he jumped to one side to allow the bullet that was his red-headed companion to shoot by him.

"Oh wow. This place is gorgeous!" Amy spun in place at the foot of the staircase and inhaled a deep breath. "Where are we this time?" She suddenly set a frown on her face and gave him a playful cut-eyed look. "And what is the catch here? Swamp monsters? Alien blood suckers? Giant wasps that eat humans for lunch?"

He looked mildly put out by that. "I believe that the only catch we may face here, Pond, is the appearance of that brother of mine." He smiled as he let his eyes trace a homestead he had not visited since before he'd left Gallifrey seven hundred years ago. "I don't know why he brought us here, but I can’t say that I’m particularly affronted by it."

Amy grinned and held up a finger. "Okay. So. Number one. I finally get to meet this brother of yours that I’ve heard absolutely nothing from you about? And do you think Rose will be with him?” She slid her eyes up to his. “Because I could seriously do with some one on one girl time. And two, where are we?"

"Actually that was three questions, Amelia.”

“What?”

“Three questions.   My Brother. Rose. And finally our location.”

“Oh,” she breathed through tightly pursed lips. “Well. Consider Rose and your brother part of the same question then. Part one and part two of question one.” She grinned cheekily. “Rose _will_ be with him, yeah?”

“Quite likely,” he answered distractedly as he watched a bat-winged bird fly by overhead. “I can’t see that she’d let him come here on his own.” He couldn’t hide his grin. “Rose. She was rather insistent that she stay close to me, or, uhm, him, I suppose.”

After a brief moment of thought his brows knitted into a curious frown and he shifted his gaze to Amy. “One on one girl time? Is that what you said?”

“Yep.”

“You don't get that…" he swirled his hand in the air. "…Girl thing with River Song? I would think so seeing that she's a girl."

"I see her only once in a while, and there is nothing girlie girl about her."

“I beg to differ.”

“You would because you really don’t know any better, do you?” She pulled her hair over her shoulder to try and stop it blowing in her face. "River's a girl, yeah. But she’s all. Well. The female version of you – which is a terrifying thought to be honest."

The Doctor let one brow lift and brought his hands together in front of him to clasp them together. "I'm trying my best not to be offended by that."

She nudged him with her shoulder. "You're adorable you big ole raggedy man, but you’re a bloke, and blokes just don’t get it." She grinned up into his smile. "So _anyway_. Answer the other questions if you please."

His eyes raised in recollection and then he looked back down with a nod. "Of course. One-point-one. Yes. You will meet my brother, although I am not quite sure how he will have managed to make that happen." He thought for a second. "Although he _is_ the Doctor, _well,_ me _,_ and – if I do say so – we are rather brilliant, so of course he found a way. And two. This is the summer home of my parents."

Her eyes widened in thrill. "So. We're on Gallifrey? You _actually_ brought me to Gallifrey?"

"No," he answered carefully. "We're on the other side of Kasterborous from where Gallifrey is, or, _was_."

"And I'm also going to guess that, given this place looks a little bit neglected, that your parents aren't here."

He shook his head. "No."

"Oh what a shame, because I'd really love to meet them." She turned her head to look down her shoulder at the TARDIS, and pulled her hair that had stuck to her glossed lips. "You know. I wonder if I should begin to think with suspicion that River and Rory have yet to emerge from the TARDIS."

"I wouldn't be concerned," he muttered with a chuckle and lean toward her ear. "A man doesn't wait for two thousand years for his love to then run off with another woman." His eyes then widened as his ears heard his own words emerge from between his lips. “Oh. That’s very. That’s not appropriate at all is it?”

“Ew,” Amy groused.

“Very _ew_ I would imagine,” he offered with a wince. “How I thought that it sounded better inside my head, I don’t know.”

"And just what were you saying about being brilliant?" She huffed as she levered a slap on his arm. Her eyes shot to the doorway of the TARDIS. “Rory," she yelled with a deeper Scottish twill than usual. "Get out here and check this place out. If it's on the market, we're buying."

Rory stuck his head out of the TARDIS door and sniffed as he took a look around. "There's a catch, right? Monsters, Aliens?"

The Doctor shook his head. "I'm not answering that question again," he bowed to Amy. "I leave it to you, fair maiden."

"Amy is no longer a maiden, Sweetie," River Song breezed as she stepped around the Doctor and dragged her finger tip down along his arm as she passed by him. Once in the sunlight, she spread her arms and twirled. "Kasterborous. The Gateway to the Heavens." She tilted her head coyly toward the Doctor. "Such a romantic location."

He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Well. Yes. I suppose it could be considered that by some."

Amy giggled at his discomfort. "You really should just run with it, Doctor."

"I don't _just run_ with anything," he suggested. He shielded his eyes with his forearm and ducked lightly underneath it as the wind kicked up and the telltale whining push and pull sound of a TARDIS engine sounded off to his right. "Saved by TARDIS," he said with a smirk.

River Song braced her stance and snapped her hand to her gun. She held her other arm across the space in front of the Doctor and Amy in a protective measure as a tall, metal cylindrical TARDIS materialized about ten feet ahead of her. "I've got this," she said with a growl. "Stay back."

"Oh. No. River," The Doctor breathed. "There's no need. I'm expecting this joker."

Her curls bobbed as she spun a questioning look to him. "Excuse me, you _are_?"

He shrugged. "Family."

"Oh." She relaxed immediately and stood tall as she took a couple of steps back. "You have surviving family. I wasn’t aware of that."

“Yes. Well. It’s not really a well-publicized fact.”

The metal door creaked open and the Meta-Crisis version of the Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS. He paid no mind to the entourage standing only feet from his machine. He seemed far more occupied with the quandary as to why his TARDIS still resembled a sewer pipe rather than the truly brilliant TARDIS machine design that he had tried to program.

He still wore his clothing from the vault at Torchwood, but had since discarded the jacket and blazer. His brown pin-striped pants were creased and stained with blood, as was his Oxford, which was untucked and skewed slightly off centre. The only things still pristine and seemingly untouched by the events in the vault were his hair and his Chucks.

As he leaned back to speak through the doorway, he raised a straight leg to balance himself inside the lean and held on to the handle of the door. " Okay, old girl. Looks like the chip is still glitching," he advised. "Try to reset the binary code and … Oh, you've done it already?"

“Of course you have,” he muttered as he drew himself to a stand and slouched his shoulders lightly. With a purse in his lips he thrust his hands into the pockets of his trousers. "Blimey. Why am I having so many problems working on that damn Chameleon Circuit? Non functional on two separate TARDIS machines. I'm cursed. Completely cursed." He scratched at his head. "Hmmm. Now what would Rose do," he asked with a threatening chuckle toward the ship. "Do you want me to go with the Tyler tactic, old girl?"

"She'd probably slap it or kick it into submission," the Doctor behind him chirped.

"Quite right, that," he answered as he levered a decent left-handed slap to the side of the TARDIS. He waited a moment with open arms of expectation as the exterior of the ship shuddered, flickered, and then morphed into the shape of a faded blue Police Box. He pressed an excited kiss to the door. "Oh yes. My beautiful ship. Look at you."

"And the Tyler slap works again," the Eleventh Doctor muttered with a chuckle.

"It's about as multi-functional as our sonic screwdriver," he answered with a smile as he turned and slapped his hand against his brother's for a firm shake of greeting. "Thanks for getting here on short notice. Didn't think I'd say this out loud, and with ounce of honesty whatsoever, but it's good to see you again."

Eleven forced a smile and gave a nod. "And you." He eyed him up and down, noting with concern his disheveled and blood stained appearance. "You look like Hell."

"Yeah," he muttered with a look down to his belly and a shrug of his shoulder. "It's been a hell of a day." He beamed a grin to the trio standing behind Eleven. "Well. Hello. I'm the _Doctor_. And shall we all take a moment for introductions seeing my brother is too rude to introduce us?"

"You might want to clean yourself up before you make any introductions," Eleven warned. “Your appearance is hardly becoming of a Time Lord.”

"Yeah," he hummed with a shrug as he looked down at himself. "True that. I'm gonna need to annex something from your TARDIS wardrobe, Ta. I got the two us out of there quick smart and didn't have time to stop and collect anything." He cracked at his neck. "And if you think I look like hell, wait until you see…"

"Rose," Eleven snapped with concern. "Where is she?"

Ten thumbed over his shoulder. His look was one of pure innocence. "She's inside. Having a sleep." His innocence turned to a huge grin. "She's great. Lovely. Brilliant. Just getting a charge up from the mess back at Torchwood. She should be up and about in no time."

He pointed his finger up and down the length of Tentoo's shirt. "None of that had better belong to her."

Amy fist pumped in front of her. "Oh. Yes. Rose's here. Estrogen, baby!" She cradled her hands behind her back and walked with a sneaky slow lean toward the TARDIS. "Can I go in?"

"Give her a bit," he warned. "She's out cold, and it's only been about fourty-five minutes since we left Torchwood

"Is five minutes enough?"

"Rose Tyler isn't a girl that you _wake up_ if she's sleeping," Eleven warned with a grin.

"Been there, done that, got the T-Shirt." Tentoo grinned with a light bob in his head. "But don't worry. I think she'd be thrilled to see you, too, Amy. She told me about you and her giving floppy here a hard time a couple of days ago. She's always good for another round of the same." He pointed to Eleven's hair. "You know, I can teach you a couple of tricks to get a bit of a lift in the front there if you want."

"I was _you_ once," he intoned blandly. "I think I know the tricks of the trade."

He set his tongue in the space between his lip and his top teeth for a moment and hen nodded. " _Yeah-h-h_. And yet you opt for flop," he said slowly. He then shrugged. "Hey. However you want to look in your regeneration, I won't judge."

"Vanity isn't my _thing_ this time around."

Amy had her hand up and whistled impatiently for attention.

Tentoo grabbed her hand and lowered his face to hers to grin a cheeky grin at her. "What's on your mind?"

"You said that Rose and I saw each other only a couple of days ago?"

"Yep."

She frowned. "It hasn't been a couple of days. It's been _months_."

"Ahh yes. It appears that time has played about with our timelines again," he chipped. "And here I thought our parallel ran faster than this one." He looked to River Song and gently took her hands in his. "River Song," he crooned. "We meet again. Very lovely to see you."

"We've met?" she asked with suspicion.

"Ri-i-i-ght," he said long. "I'm the earlier version of him." He thumbed to Eleven and then dropped her hands. "HAsn’t happened for you yet, has it? So I'm going to stop the spoiler chat right there." He did shoot a look of curiosity to his brother. "Are you and she, you know, in this…?"

Eleven mouthed a rather obvious "No."

"Oh. In time then."

Eleven leaned an elbow against the bannister of the stairs. "That would make the introductions complete…"

"Except mine," Rory hollered with slight disgust, but very little surprise. He held his hand out. "Rory. I'm Amy's husband."

"Pleasure's mine," Tentoo grinned. "I'm the Doctor, I guess you can call me the Tenth, seeing as Biological Meta Crisis can be a bit of a mouthful if you need to call me in a hurry." He thumbed to Eleven. "And it works now that he's not ten anymore." He looked at him. "You're eleven, right? Well, you have to be, don’t you? I did the math on regenerations a while back when Rose and me were talking about how many times I'd have to kill you to actually _kill_ you.."

"Why would you want to do that?"

"And," he continued. "With he who isn't mentioned, and the brilliant aborted regeneration that resulted in, well, me. You're it, aren't you?"

"Does it make you feel all sorts of special to remind me of my own mortality, brother?"

Ten shrugged. "If it makes you feel any better, Rose and me, we're both on regeneration number two right now."

"Excuse me, _what_?"

He pursed his lips. "Oh. Yes. Forget I said that."

Eleven rounded on his Brother. "So all that," he winced with a clearing of his throat. "That blood, on you _does_ belong to Rose?"

"Well…"

"What in the name of Rassilon?" He snarled. "Let me guess. Shot, right? Of course I'm right. And where were you at the time?" He didn't allow him to speak before continuing. "You're supposed to protect her, Doctor, not let her get shot at and killed. Whether or not she can regenerate is not an excuse to be lax in protecting her."

"Hey," Ten spat back. "I did what I could to protect her, okay? I'm not from Krypton where the rays of Earth's golden sun makes me impervious to bullets."

"Krypton _exists_?" Rory asked with high brows.

"No," both Doctors snapped at him in response.

"It blew up," Ten finished darkly. He poked his finger into Eleven's chest. "I was dealing with a whole lotta Time Lord at the time. I had Borusa in this corner, Bad Wolf over here, and Rassilon front and centre. Throw in Mother and a pushy TARDIS, and then an asshole Torchwood agent with a canon for a gun…."

"Hold on. What?" The frown was set. "What?"

"It's a long story and one I really don't want to have to rehash, okay?"

"You've got a decent gob," Eleven countered with an almost snake-like slithering bob of his head in Ten's face. "Retell the tale."

Ten huffed in annoyance. "Contact," he snapped with a curl of demand in his lip for Eleven to comply. “I’m not wasting any more of my breath talking about it.”

Eleven stood firm and dipped his hands into his jacket pockets. “Contact,” he seethed as his eyes fell shut and they initiated connection.

Ten swallowed hard and let him see the incident at Torchwood. His eyes slowly opened so that he could watch the varying expressions fly past his brother's eyelids. At the end of the scene, he muttered coolly: "Up to speed?"

Eleven blinked his eyes open. "You and Rose have bonded in marriage?"

"Of all I just showed you, _that's_ what you took from it?"

“Well,” his voice was decidedly uncomfortable.

Ten grinned and fell into a happy slouch. "Mmmm, oh yes. We are bonded. Slightly ahead of plan, but it’s brilliant nonetheless."

"Well. My heartfelt congratulations to you both." He coughed into his fist. "Accept my apologies for the accusation. It was quite clear that you took all available steps to prevent this."

"You and I know that we will _both_ give our lives for Rose without a second thought, so don't question what lengths I will go to to make sure she survives, okay?" He looked pained. "You have no idea what it did to me to see her like that."

"I have a pretty fair idea."

Ten shook himself, clapped his hands, gave a broad grin, and abruptly changed the subject. "So? What's been going on with you lot then?"

"Oh," Amy answered with a twirl of her hand in front of her. "Aliens. Time Travel. Bad things. Running, lots and lots of running."

"Oh, so situation normal, then. Brilliant." He scratched at his sideburn. "So no plans for the next few days, am I right? Please say I'm right."

"Making plans is pretty pointless," Rory offered with a shrug. "Either something dangerous or alien crops up, or the Doctor over there screws up the flight plan and we end up somewhere other than the promise of where we supposed to go when _he_ suggested that we go somewhere."

Not too surprisingly both Doctors understood that line of thought rather perfectly.

"That isn't entirely accurate," Eleven countered with a circular wave of his hand. "At least nine times out of ten I get us to where we want to go."

Ten shook his head. "It would be more accurate to suggest a six to ten ratio."

"We've had the ratio fall to four on occasion," Eleven admitted to his brother with a shrug. "Not for a while, of course, but it fell into the realm of possibility at around…"

"Four! Oh yes," Ten exclaimed with an open-mouth smile. "Back when we had the whole curly hair and scarf thing happening."

"We were _amazing_ back then, weren't we?"

"Well," Ten sang. "Things _were_ simpler back then, weren't they? The offer of a jelly baby could make allies out of enemies." He slouched just slightly with a grin. "Oh. Jelly babies. I haven't had one of those in forever. Maybe me and Rose could make a quick skip back to London and pick up a few bags."

Rory flicked his finger in between the two Doctors. There was a crease in the middle of his brow and a slight curious purse to his lips. "So. If I get this right. You two are brothers, yeah?"

Both men answered in the affirmative.

"Who's the oldest?"

They each pointed to the other.

"You don't know who's older than the other?"

Ten looked to Eleven and then gave a shrug and stuffed is hands into his pockets. "Well that's a pretty broad stroked question, really. The answer does depend on what timeline you want to base your interpretation of age on. Then, of course, if the way you want to calculate age is on the Regeneration, timing of, and the such, well the answer can be different yet again." He looked to Eleven. "Right? Right. Of course." He rocked backward and forward along his feet. "Take me. I could be 907. I could be just over 12 months old. Regeneratively speaking, 10. Or age beyond regeneration four, five years old? Or even fourty five minutes, actually, seeing as I just went through a pretty spectacular aborted regeneration."

"Again?" Eleven asked flatly. "Vanity thy name is Doctor."

"The overflow energy left from healing birthed my TARDIS, thank you." He said with a frown to Eleven. "And just where are you in the timeline now? On Pete's world, Rose and I have just crossed the 12-month mark. Where are you at?"

"Oh," Eleven muttered with a look to the sky and a rub of his hands. "I think I'm at about two and a half years since Bad Wolf Bay."

Tens brows shot high. "That long? _Really_?" He frowned in understanding. "Flicking back and forth in time a lot, then?"

"I'm a Time Lord," Eleven countered with a smirk. "It's what we do."

Rory merely shook his head. "Are there ever any short and easy responses to a question asked of a time Lord?"

Eleven chuckled. "No."

"Well _that_ was one," Ten offered smugly.

"Okay, then _yes_. Sometimes."

Rory thought a moment, and then flicked a look through his brows at the two men. "You're both named _Doctor_ , then?"

"Yes," Ten said with a smirk. "Are we confusing you, yet?"

"Mildly," Rory answered. He then raised his head. "At the risk of me asking another question that will draw out a long winded explanation that doesn't actually get me any further along in understanding what on Earth is the actual answer to my question. Could you give me a cliff's notes version of how you two came to be?"

Ten shifted his eyes to Eleven. "Did you want?"

Eleven shook his head. "Go right ahead." He moved back to take a seat next to a rather amused River Song on the stairs. "I'll correct you if you mess up."

"No doubt," Ten replied. He leaned an elbow on an ornately carved stop on the end of the bannister and crossed his legs at the ankle as he fell into a comfortable lean. "Do you remember, back some time ago, a year for me, two and a half for Floppy over there, when the Daleks dropped to Earth, moved it to just beyond the Medusa Cascade?"

"The Reality Bomb thing," Rory answered with a sharp nod. "Won't forget that any time soon."

"Right," Ten continued. "So. When floppy looked as good as I do right now." He cheekily adjusted his tie. "He got himself shot by a Dalek and had to go through a regeneration on the floor of the TARDIS."

"Do note," Eleven added. "That this fool got himself shot by the Dalek because he was blindly running down a street with hearts in his eyes because Rose had come back and he didn't see the Dalek until it was too late."

"Why are you both speaking like…" Rory raised his hands and shook his head. "You know what, never mind. Forget that I asked. I'll just take you at your word that you're blood."

"We're the same man, Rory," Eleven offered up. "Long story short. In a life and death crisis moment, with the residual power left over from the aborted regeneration that had been channeled into the hand," he pointed at Ten's right hand. "It got cut off Christmas Day 2005 during a _thing_ with a Sycorax ship…"

"A _thing_ ," Ten snapped incredulously. "Do you just refer to it as a _thing_?"

"Yes. Yes. We saved the planet, yay to the Doctor," Eleven muttered with a roll of his eyes. "So the hand. Regeneration power. Crisis in effect. TARDIS about to be destroyed…"

"Instantaneous Biological Meta Crisis," Ten injected with a wide and open mouthed smile as he flicked his fingers in the air in front of his body in presentation. "And that's where I came in. I grew out of _you_ ," he grinned at his hand as he waggled his fingers in front of his face. “I love this hand” He dropped his hand and looked seriously toward Rory. “Of course we couldn’t have done it without a little help from Donna.” He looked quickly to Eleven. “Oh, and how _is_ Donna doing by the way? She okay? Doing good?"

"Oh, fantastic. She's married, won the lottery. Doing wonderfully."

"Oh, that's good." Ten circled his finger around his head. "And this?"

Eleven shook his head sadly. "I had to completely block her memories of us. The Time Lord consciousness was killing her."

"Ahh. That's upsetting. So no visiting her, then?"

"No."

"That's a shame. I'm sure she'd love to know how we're all doing."

Three sets of eyes were widely watching the two Doctors in urging for the story to continue. Amy urged on her Doctor with a nudge at his elbow. "Well. Finish up. How we end up with him and Rose in another parallel?"

"Oh, that's an easy one," Ten answered on his behalf. "This bumbling great hypocrite decided that I was too dangerous to stay in this parallel and dropped me off as far away from somewhere normal as possible. Not just drop me off, mind, dumped me off. No shits given in his mind as to what I was actually going to do all of a sudden as a human. He just assumed Rose would pick up his slack and take care of me."

"I knew that Rose would accept you, and then love you. _Rassilon_ , you were making out on the beach before I left.: He opened his arms to give a dramatic shrug. “It’s _why_ I walked away! How long was it before the two of you shared a bed and the experience that I never got a chance to share with her? An hour? A day?" Eleven stood up quickly from the stairs and approached his brother. "And just who are you calling a hypocrite?"

"You, ya daft flop-haired git," he answered back sharply. "You take it upon your high and mighty self to give Rose no choice but to go back to a parallel that she didn't even want to be in, with an apparently dangerous old time Lord/Human hybrid."

"You committed genocide," Eleven snapped. "You wiped out that entire Dalek battle fleet."

"And does the destruction of Gallifrey and all its people ring any bells for you, you hypocritical twat," He snarled. "If you want to talk about who's dangerous, Doctor, then take a damn good look at yourself, because everywhere you go, destruction always follows."

"Ouch," Amy muttered under her breath. She caught Eleven's snap at her to keep out of it, and rolled her eyes in the direction of the TARDIS, where a battle-sore, exhausted Rose Tyler leaned half in and half out of the TARDIS door, wearing the Doctor's blood stained pin striped blazer and an agonized look on her face. "Rose," she breathed as she jogged over. "Are you okay? You look like Hell."

"Make them stop, Amy," she moaned. "My head's killin' me, and the more upset he gets the worse it's getting."

Amy took a look at the tightness in her eyes. "Has this got to do with that bonding thing the Doctor mentioned earlier? You feel what he feels kind of thing?"

"Oh, I bloody hope not," Rose answered with a shudder as she clutched at her head. "Because I didn't sign up _that_ for when I told him _I will_."

"Yeah, well just in case. Oi!" Amy called across the small space between them. "You two blokes wanna knock off the yelling?" A look of fury flashed across her face as the Eleventh Doctor dismissively waved his hand at her. "Oh. He didn't just wave me off."

"He still does that, yeah?"

"Oh. Yeah." She pushed up her sleeves. "I'll go give him a proper piece of my mind and send your Doctor over here – who, I have to admit to you – is really much more dashing in person than in photos."

"When he's not covered in my blood and is dressed like a time Lord is supposed to dress, it's a better image. You just wait." She pulled out her cellphone from her back pocket and patted the blazer pockets looking to see if the sonic was in there. It was. She grinned and gave a giggle as she pressed it to her phone and activated the sonic. "I hope this works."

“Whatcha doin?”

“Supercharging my phone,” Rose answered softly. “Gotto get a call across the dimensional wall.”

"Meanwhile," Amy said smoothly. "Let me go break up the new Time War."

"No need," Rose breathed huskily through a wince as the heat between brothers increased. "I got a better idea." She dialed a number and held the phone to her ear. "Great to see you again, by the way. How long's it been for you?"

"About five months." She looked her over. "Did you want me to run to the TARDIS and grab you something a little less like you're a horror movie scream girl?"

"That would be great, but wait. You won't want to miss this," she answered with a smirk. "Trust me. You'll want to capture this moment." Her smile fell as the phone picked up on the other end. "Dad! Hi. Rose. I'm good, okay, more than okay. I’m great. Tell me, is Marissa near you by chance? I’d really like to talk to her about the behavior of her children. Thanks."

Amy watched with intrigue as Rose spoke to someone on the phone that she referred to as _Mother_ and advised of the situation occurring ahead of them. Although Rose was quite obviously in pain with a migraine-strength headache, she smiled as she listened to the woman on the other end.

"Just whose mother are you talking to," she asked with mirth. "Please tell me something I want to hear. _Please please please_." There was no shield over the glee in her voice.

Rose winked at Amy and politely asked the person on the phone to wait a moment. She took hold of Amy's hand and walked them toward the warring brothers. She held the phone in between them. "Gentlemen. Phone call."

Ten looked to her with annoyed apology. "Sorry. For who?"

Rose lightly shook the phone. "Either, or. Take your pick." She poked it at Ten. "You might want to go first."

"Can I call them back, I'm a bit busy right now."

She shook her head. "I really wouldn't recommend that." She smiled warmly to Eleven as Ten took the phone. "Hello again, Doctor."

He snatched her in for a hug and kissed atop her head. "It’s always good to see you, Rose."

Rose nestled against his side as she watched her new husband hold the phone to his ear and give a rather chirpy greeting.

"Grand morning to you, you've reached the Doctor." He paused. "Oh. Yes. Hello to you, too." His head dropped and the volume of his voice decreased to quiet mumble. "Okay. Yes. Understood. But…" Another pause. "Oh, but. He was…" Another pause. A mild whimper. "I really didn't consider that, no. I will fix that. _Immediately_." He slouched with a heavy backward lean. "If I must. Yes. Yes. I am in full agreement with you, of course. I am not in any way arguing with you." He palmed at his forehead and spoke though his teeth. "It is my oath to you. I will respect and… No, I am not being facetious." Another wince. "Yes. And the same to you, of course."

His hand still covered his forehead as he handed the phone across the void between the two men. "It's for you."

Eleven flicked a brow and looked down to Rose as he took the phone from his brother. "It's Jackie, isn't it?"

Rose shook her head as she pulled away from him and slid happily into Ten's waiting arms. "Worse," she sang. She looked to Amy, who was highly amused as she filmed the scene with her cellphone. "You getting this, Amy?"

"All of it," she said with a laugh as she watched her Doctor go through a very similar conversation, in very much the same defeated manner as his brother had. "This is going into the TARDIS databanks for play at random points in time as soon as I get back on board."

Eleven finally ended the call and pressed the top of the phone against his forehead as he bit down his embarrassment. He lifted only his eyes to Rose. "You called our _Mother_?"

She nodded with a very neutral expression. "Yes. I did."

"I didn’t realize that my mother had a cellphone number," he muttered around the clearing of his throat. "Let me state, for the record, in front of all present, that _that_ was a low down and dirty tactic."

"But you still love me, right?"

"With _that_ stroke of genius," Eleven said with pride and a grin. "Of course I do. Very well played, Rose Tyler. Very well played."

Ten held his new wife with a tender hold against his chest and pressed his lips gently into her forehead. "I heard from a rather insistent Time Lady that you need a Doctor." He rubbed her back used the push of his nose to bring her head from his so that he could look into her tired face. "Let me do something about that headache of yours."

He lifted her chin with the crook of his finger and lightly pressed his mouth to hers. With a single roll of his jaw to part her lips below his, he languidly drank her in. Within a moment, she dissolved into his arms with a sigh and whimper. He had a rather self-satisfied smile on his face when he drew back from her. "How's that; all better?"

"Oh yes," she breathed on a sigh. "You are a gifted man."

"Not so much gifted," River Song offered as she took position next to Eleven and nudged him with her hip to break him of his trance of watching the couple become tender with each other. "Don't stare, sweetie." She looked back to Rose. "Telepathic bonding can cause some temporal sensation feedback between the bonded couple in its early stages. He just needed to calm himself down to ease your pain. What better way than with a loving kiss?" Her smile was genuine. "It will get better for you in time. How long has it been?"

Ten's face creased as he considered the timing. "About an hour, actually."

All four persons gasped. River Song, however, was the most aghast of the group.

"An _hour_?" She looked back to the group with wide eyes and shook her head. "Which means the union hasn't yet been consummated, am I correct?" She made a shoo motion toward the TARDIS. "Off you go. We'll still be here when you're finished."

"Well that's a bit personal," Rose chipped. "And I don't really know you yet, so…"

"Does consummation prior to the bonding ceremony count," Ten tried with a high browed look. "Because about two hours before hand Rose and I…" He oomphed as Rose slapped him in the stomach.

" _Really_ , Doctor?"

"Are you embarrassed to admit that you make love with me, Rose," he teased lightly. "I would certainly hope not considering it's something we engage in rather frequently."

She covered her face with her hands. "Oh. I'm not having this discussion. Not now. Not here. Not ever." She blindly walked toward the TARDIS with a whimper in her tone. "What is it with Time Lords and their lack of decorum in mixed company? First your mum tries to speak with me about it and now … Ugh… _strangers!_ "

Ten held a wide grin of tease as he followed behind her. "Welcome to the species," he said with a laugh as he passed through the door. He hooked his hand around the door as he peered around it to the group on the other side. "Yeah. We're probably going to need a couple of hours or so."

"We'll be waiting, Sweetie," River Song called back. "Have fun."

"Will do," he promised. He then passed a look to Eleven. "There is a specific reason I called you out here, Brother. Please don't take off on me."

He pressed his lips together and shook his head. "As tempted as I am, I have to admit that it's been a while since I've taken a couple of days to relax and do nothing." He looked around. "I think I can manage some downtime here for a while. I miss this place." He tipped his head to his entourage. "And something tells me this lot would appreciate the time, too."

"You got that right," Amy purred as she put her hand on the Doctor's shoulder. "It'll be nice to just put the feet up and relax a while."

Rory whimpered behind her. "Of course, now that you've said that," he warned. "Something's gonna happen."

Ten's laugh at Rory's comment as he closed the TARDIS doors was as ominous as the storm clouds coming in over the lake. Eleven looked up to the sky. "Well. Let's go inside and I'll give you a tour of the Summer home of two very spoiled and entitled Time Lord brats."

"Nooo," Amy sang facetiously as she followed him upstairs. "Spoiled and entitled brat? You? Never."


	29. Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tentoo gets goofy with Rose. Eleven finds out why he was summoned to Kasterborous.

The storm had raged late into the evening with high winds, heavy rain, bright blue flashes of lightning and heavy rumbling crashes of thunder. The old stone and wood home shielded the occupants nestled warmly within from the thrashing winds and thunder outside. The corrugated tin and copper roof caught each rain droplet loudly, providing the Eleventh Doctor and his companion team with a brilliant symphony of tinkering song, punctuated by the percussion of the thunder outside.

Like anything that came from the constellation of Kasterborous, it was a beautiful display. The young married couple of Amy and Rory nestled a romantic cuddle against each other on the padded seat of the bay window to watch the lightning dancing across the lake, and the glittering of the silver leaves lining the old home. River Song and the Doctor remained on the floor in front of the fire, sipping on vintage wine procured from the cellar, and spoke of the escapades of a young Doctor running through the Summer property.

Amy had offered some concern for the couple outside in the TARDIS, but had been quickly assured that the machines outside were far more equipped to deal with a heavy storm than the home was, so she wasn’t to worry. She couldn't help slight concern, however, and let her eyes wander toward both machines more than once.

Late into the evening she could have sworn to have seen both Rose and the Doctor dancing romantically in the rain, holding each other as they shared tender kisses, but put that image down to supreme tiredness. She fell asleep against her husband shortly thereafter. She awoke in the deep cushions of the Bay window wrapped around Rory and covered in a thick fluffy blanket.

The Doctor stood beside the slowly stirring couple with a mug of tea in his hand and his eyes looking out into the bright morning sunshine.

"Good morning, Pond," he offered lightly. "Sleep well?"

She slapped her lips together to try and wet her dry tongue and the roof of her mouth, but had little luck in doing so. She held her hand out in request to take a sip of the Doctor’s tea. He obliged, and she took a tentative taste, a deeper sip, and then handed it back. "Normally I don't like storms," she admitted on a croak with her still sleepy voice. "But last night. That was something else. Gorgeous."

"It was," he agreed as he drew back on his tea and kept his eyes on the two TARDIS machines outside.

She noticed his intense stare and pulled herself from the seat to pad her socked feet on the wooden floor. "What's the time?"

"In Earth equivalent, about eight-thirty in the morning." Another draw on his tea. "The days are slightly shorter here – about twenty hours instead of the twenty-four that you're familiar with."

"Ten of day, ten of night?"

He shook his head. "Thirteen hours of sunlight. One for Dusk, one for Dawn, Four hours of night." He shrugged. "On average."

"Perfect for Time Lords that don't sleep, I guess." She tipped her shoulder to the TARDIS. "Any sign of them, yet?"

He nodded. "They went for a walk a couple of hours ago. The Doctor wanted to take Rose into town to show her around the markets and pick up something at the bakery for breakfast."

She gasped. "It's a two-hour trip?"

The Doctor gave a laugh. "No. It's only a twenty minute walk." He passed her an amused glance. "But what's one thing you know about me?"

"That a ten minute trip for supplies can typically take up to a whole day to complete." She rolled her eyes with a smile and bobbed her head lightly from side to side. "Distracted by this, want to look at that. And, oh! Look at this _brilliant_ piece of alien stuff whose origin absolutely must be much more closely investigated…"

"Exactly," he said with amused softness as he dipped his head down closer to her ear. "And as he and I are essentially the same man, we can assume that he's been distracted by something."

"Or he's conducting a very thorough history lesson and is boring her senseless as he describes just what planet the dust on the brick wall is from and the most _brilliant_ industrial processes that were required to fashion this dust into a strong and sturdy building brick."

"Are you saying that I bore you, Amelia Pond?"

"Oh," she sang lightly. "You do have your less interesting moments."

His face lengthened in mild hurt as he followed Amy to the door that led to the front patio. He leaned his forearms on the railing beside her and cradled his mug between both hands. He closed his eyes with a serene smile as the warm winds kissed at the side of his face and tousled his hair. "Why haven't I been back here," he asked Amy with rhetoric softness. "I've always loved it here. I've always felt safe here."

"Memories," she suggested with equal softness. "You're always running, Doctor. Running. Running. Running. Coming here means that you stop for a while."

"And when I stop running…"

"You start thinking. Remembering. Feeling."

He let out a long breath and slid his eyes in her direction. "You know me so well, so intricately, so deeply that I find it terrifying at times."

She nudged him with her shoulder. "I'm your best friend," she teased cautiously. "I'm supposed to know you."

He took her hand and squeezed it tightly. "That knowledge is power. You can hurt me deeply, so please don't."

She looked up the dusty road, where the pair of Doctor and Rose walked hand in hand toward the home. "Did _she_ hurt you?"

He followed her gaze and spared a moment to watch the couple walk and laugh together in the distance. "No. Rose didn't hurt me. _I_ hurt me. I forgot who I was. I ignored centuries of conditioning and instinct. I ignored my better judgment and fell in love."

"It happens to the best of us," she offered. "It's really something you can't fight against. It just happens." She nodded her chin to the lake, where River Song was taking a swim. "And sometimes you should stop fighting it and let it happen."

He looked to the lake. "Perhaps."

They both watched quietly as Rose and the Doctor shared a joke on the path. The Doctor Ten dropped his head backward and dipped his knees in a deep and open-mouthed laugh as Rose broke away from him and clutched at her belly in her own laughter.

"He looks like a happy fellow,' Amy offered. "Was that _you_ back then, too?"

"Are you suggesting I'm a miserable old man now?"

"Nope," she said with a smile and a nudge against his shoulder with hers. "But he seems a little lighter than you are."

"That man." He indicated Ten with a nod of his head. "Was the most unstable of all my regenerations. Highly volatile. He can switch his mood and personality inside a second. He’ll be bright and cheery one moment, and in full storm mode the next second without warning. Rose." He flicked his hand in Rose's direction. "Rose's presence held him in check. She didn't know it, and certainly wasn't actively trying to, but she was like medication to him." He blew out a breath. "She grounded him. And so when he lost her, _well_."

"When _you_ lost her," she corrected. "It had to be tough."

"It was. I teetered on the edge of control. Well. Until Donna." He smiled. "Donna is something to be seen," he said with bright remembrance. "I think you'd like her." He gave her a teasing stare. "There's something about you fiery ginger girls that know how to keep a Time Lord in check."

"I'd be offended if I didn't completely agree with you." She tilted her head at the pair nearing the gate. "What is he doing?"

The Doctor's eyes widened for a second as he watched his brother sucking on the stalk of a flower as he dropped to pluck another from the path and hand it to Rose in urging. He then chuckled in amusement. "Oh. This will be entertaining."

"Why's that?"

"Oh. Just watch."

He thumbed at his nose in amusement to watch Rose follow her Doctor's direction and lick at the stalk with heavy caution. Immediately, she recoiled with a disgusted look on her face. Ten hovered his face, wearing a thrilled expression, as the disgust on Rose's face quickly changed to delight, and she snatched the flower from him to suck on its stalk. Both Rose and the Doctor stood facing each other with a five-petal brilliant red flower hanging out from their lips like a baby's pacifier.

And then they started to giggle goofily.

"Oh-kay," Amy breathed long. "Is that like a Time Lord mushroom trip or somethin'?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Closer to being drunk than on a _trip,_ " he assured. "That flower is native to Mount Lung on Gallifrey. Students at the Prydonian Chapter of the Academy chew on the end of the stalk when they want to relax after a hard day of study."

"Time Lords in training on drugs," she mused. "Well that explains the whole _how do I fly this thing and get to the right time and date I want_ quandary on the TARDIS. You were high for the whole time at University! College students are the same on any planet, aren't they?"

"No. It's not a drug," he countered with a laugh. "It's got an enzyme in the sap has an effect on Time Lords very similar to alcohol on humans. Granted," he admitted. "It's slightly more potent that your Earth-produced beverages, but the effect is very short. Less than a minute once you stop tasting the sap, and it has no ill after effect. Non addicting." He watched the pair on the ground with amusement. "It's really no more harmful to a Time Lord than a night out at the bar is to a Human."

"A night out on the town isn't always harmless."

Amy paused and giggled into her hand as Rose took the flower from her mouth and walked a staggered gait toward her Doctor. Rose was all chuckles as she rolled up onto her toes and poked the stem of the flower into the Doctor's spiked hair. She pulled the one from his mouth, and tucked it behind his ear.

"Oh how very dignified," Amy giggled. Her giggle increased to a hearty laugh as Rose stepped backward to take a photograph with her phone of the flower-powered Doctor. Ten performed a couple of typical effeminate model poses, but then pursed his lips in teenage duck-face style. He smoothly leaned his chest forward and pressed his hands against the lapel of his jacket as though he was a well-endowed woman pushing her breasts together for that perfect cleavage shot. When he held that pose and licked seductively at his lips, Rose exploded in laughter. She stomped her feet in brilliant glee as she walked a tight circle around herself and had her head held high as she struggled to breathe in her amusement.

"I want a copy of that picture," Amy called from the deck.

Rose and Ten looked up to the deck with smiled spread wide across their cheeks. Ten held up a box held together with red ribbon. "Mornin'! Did you sleep well, Ms. Pond? Look. I got breakfast from the best bakery in Kasterborous!"

"What took you so long," Eleven charged with mock annoyance. "A Time Lord could starve waiting for you to get your act together."

"Well you've got legs and two heartbeats," he countered with a cheeky wink. "You could always fix _yourself_ something."

Eleven snatched the box from his brother and passed it to Amy. "But I was given the promise of Fresh bread and Bagels." He looked at his watch. "Two hours ago."

"Oh," Ten countered excitedly as he pulled a glittering stone from his jacket pocket and held it up to show Eleven. "But look what Rose found in the Market. It's an Eruvien deep lake nursery pod. Petrified, of course. But isn't it beautiful?"

Eleven slipped on his glasses and took the prize from Ten's hand. A smile of awe spread across his cheeks. "That's _very_ lovely," he commented as he held it to the light. Impressed though he was, he couldn't help but dip his head with mild concern. "This's thousands of years old." He looked up sharply. "Where did Rose find this? In the market?"

"Yes," Ten answered with a grin as he rocked on his feet. He lowered his head in an excited, yet conspiratorial manner. "So I had to look into it, didn't I? Couldn’t just ignore it. It’s important to find out where it came from and to see if there are any more."

Rose rolled her eyes, took the box from Amy and flicked her head to the doorway. "C'mon, Amy. Let's you 'n me go play good housewives and fix the lads some breakfast and tea, shall we?"

"They can make it themselves," she challenged with a brattish look toward her Doctor.

"I've already heard all this. At. Great. Length," Rose warned in a friendly tone with a point to the current object of the Doctors' desire. "Of course you're welcome to the lecture a'la Docteurs if you wish."

"No! No. Rose, wait. I’m coming with you," Amy yelped. She grabbed Rose's hand and tugged. "Breakfast for our men. Yes. We can do that. We _must_ do that."

The two Doctors merely raised their eyes to the girls as they hightailed it off the deck. Ten pursed his lips and raised his brows. "Do you ever get the feeling that…" He frowned. "Well. You know." His eyes moved back to his brother. "That sometimes the girls aren't as excited about things as we are?"

"Oh absolutely not," He answered. "How can they not be completely fascinated by things like this. And this is very beautiful," Eleven breathed with his eyes still caught on the pod. They shifted to Ten. "We have to return this to the Eruvien Royal Family."

"Yeah," Ten agreed as he scratched his sideburn. "Gonna leave that one to you, though. Rose and me, we have some important things to deal with after we're done here."

Eleven stuffed the pod into his pocket and leaned his forearm on the railing. "I’ve been meaning to ask you about why we're all here." He looked to the lake, where River Song was still swimming. "And why you'd specifically ask for her to come along."

"Because we need Time Lords that we can trust." He swallowed and looked slightly uncomfortable as he continued. "Rose. Well I trust her with my life."

"She now holds our greatest secret, so I would hope so."

"Which," Ten continued. "Leads me to River." He smiled thinly. "She holds the same secret, which means you trust her – or you will at some point. I will guess it means that you will also love her," he shrugged. "If you don't already, of course. Trust her, I mean."

"To be perfectly honest with you, Brother. I don't know if I do."

"Well that was unexpected," Ten murmured with genuine shock. "Do you mind sharing just why?"

"I don't know."

A flat and simple response.

Ten drummed his fingers on the railing. "So we _don't_ trust her?"

"Well on one hand I do," Eleven muttered with a wave of his hand. "But on the other hand I don't know."

"Oh-kay," Ten said on a long breath. "If I was to entrust the care of my Rose Tyler to your River Song, would she be safe?"

"Why would you want to do that? And yes. Rose would be very well protected." His brows dropped low, as did his head. "What’s on your mind? What are we doing?"

"Something for our Mother," Ten answered flatly. "When I left Torchwood, she made a very specific request."

"Which tone of voice did she use?"

" _That_ tone of voice."

"The one that holds a suggestion, mild humour perhaps, but that undercurrent of command with a side order of unspoken threat of severe reprimand if you don't do what it is that she jokingly asked you to do?"

"That would be the one."

"Oh Rassilon, we're in trouble." He rubbed his hands together and rocked his head lightly from side to side as he considered things. "What does she need?"

"Our father," Ten answered simply. She is in exile on Pete's world on Rassilon's command – her crime, I will add, I would like an explanation for."

"Long story. Involved the Master, Time Lords, Gallifrey, Rassilon, Mother, my regeneration."

"Oh," Ten sang with a big smile. "Sounds like my day yesterday. _Well_ , but without the Master and Gallifrey, but I had Bad Wolf and Borusa in their place."

"My day. Far worse."

"Are we really going to have another pissing contest?"

" _Pissing_ , Doctor? How very uncouth of you." He toyed with his now empty mug. "Now. Before your wife phones our Mother to intervene once more. Share with me your plan to retrieve our father."

Ten adopted the same level of lean on his elbows against the railing as his brother. "We have to get into Mount Cadon."

"No," Eleven snapped quickly.

"The information on Dad's whereabouts and how we're going to get to him are in there."

Eleven pursed his lips and nodded. He kept his head low and raised his eyes to his brother. "So. What you're saying is that you want you and me to somehow break the Kasterborian Time Lock to go back in time to a living Gallifrey and walk the halls of our alma mater and hope that we aren't recognized by any of the cadets or professors so we can steal the information required to break our father out of prison." He blew out a breath. "Because our Mother asked us to."

"Yes." Ten then uncomfortably curled his lip and cleared his throat. "Of course, you and I would be instantly recognized as a rather infamous member of the alumni."

"Well. _Yes_."

Ten nodded and pulled at his ear. "And only Time Lords can attend the Academy." He pressed his fist into the side of his mouth, forcing him to talk around it. "We do _know_ two other Time Lords."

"Are you _insane_?"

"I believe I have a certificate to that effect somewhere."

"You're actually _willing_ to allow Rose – _Rose Tyler_ – to step on the hallowed grounds of the Cadon Campus. You? _You_?"

He nodded. "Yes. But not just Rose, Rose _and_ River." He rolled his eyes. "Oh come on. It's just the Academy. It’s not like I'm sending them to Council Chambers or Arcadia."

Eleven rubbed at his chin. "Yes. Well. They would make quite a combination against the pretentious Prydonian Chapter cadets, I suppose." He grinned a smile as floppy as his hair. "And you'd want to miss seeing that?"

“I’m sure the two of us can come up with a way to be able to see every delightful moment of our girls trip to Cadon.” He purred a throaty purr. “And then you and me can watch it all on the big screen in the TARDIS.”

“Could be an entertaining day.”

He turned serious. "You know that he’s nameless in there, yeah?"

"I know he is."

"This is the only way we can find him. We have to take the risk."

Eleven nodded. "Because our Mother said so." He punched lightly at his forehead as he considered what lay ahead of them. Finally he raised his head and shrugged. "Well. What choice do we have, Doctor? Which is worse? Having to answer to the Council of Lords and risk a lifetime exile to Trenzalore or deny our Mother her request?"

"Dad's in prison for asking that same question."

"Yep, for getting that same answer we did."

 


	30. Friendly Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls go for a walk and bond a little. Advice is given. Trouble may have been found....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will preface this chapter with the following: Do note that I am one of the few people who really doesn't like the whole River Song story arc and, well, River Song in general. But that said, I will never, ever, ever, assassinate her character, belittle her, or bash her just because I don't like her. I don't believe in doing that, and I never will. in fact, as a reader, I will immediately stop reading any fics that purposely make a character a horrible person just to serve their purpose (Martha bashing happens for that reason way too often I've noticed)   
> I intend to have some fun with River and I've found that I very much enjoy writing her getting into mischief and forming a friendship with Rose. 
> 
> Of course, if you also expect lovey dovey smoochie woochie Doctor for River ... sorry ... that will never happen. Never.

Amy, River Song, and the Eleventh Doctor were seated on the stairs outside the home when a panicked blonde lightning bolt struck down from the front door. As she shot past, Rose immediately clutched at Amy's hand and tugged desperately.

"AmyAmyAmy! Comecomecome," she pleaded.

Amy was pulled from her comfortable seat beside the Doctor. She stumbled with a yelp, and clutched onto the Doctor's knee to stop her from falling forward completely onto her face. She gasped to find herself pulled on one side by Rose, and attached to the Doctor on the other side like a rope in a game of tug-o-war. "What? What's going on?"

Rose danced from foot to foot, her eyes flashing up to the front doorway with panicked alarm. "Just. You. Me. You know. We need to go be girlie or something, yeah?" She tugged. "Please?"

"Why so urgent?" She smiled, though. "But yeah, sounds good. I'm in. Whatcha have in mind?"

"Great! Can we go now?" She stuttered. "Uh. Allons-y?"

"Allon-what?" She looked at the Doctor for explanation.

"I don't say _Allons-y_ anymore," he advised Rose with a throaty chuckle. "It's _Geronimo_ now,"

"Geronimo? Who says _Geronimo_?"

"Geronimo is _cool_ ," he answered with a slow grin. He raised his head and twisted his body to look over his shoulder at the sound of his brother calling for his wife. He smirked in real amusement and looked toward her. "Oh. Rose. What did you do?"

"Nothing," she growled lightly. She then yelped and released Amy to duck down beside the stairwell. She ducked, but pressed her back into the wall. "You haven't seen me, okay?"

Ten stepped out through the door, ducking through the doorway although unnecessary. "Hey, bowtie. Did you see Rose come out here?"

Eleven's brow flicked and he licked a teasing tongue over his lip as he passed a look to Rose, who was actually cowering as through hiding from a Dalek. "Well…"

She offered him her most wounded, pleading, desperate look; the one she knew for a damn fact he couldn't ever resist. "I will love you for all eternity, just, please?"

"Well, what?" Ten asked as he moved toward the group. "Did you see her or not?"

Eleven broke from the tractor beam lock of hazel eyes and looked to his brother. "Well, no. Not recently. I thought she was with you exploring the old homestead."

He scratched at his sideburn, and then tugged on his ear. "Yeah. She was. But then I stumbled into the old nursery, found some really cool stuff." He shrugged. "I turned around and she was gone."

"Is there a travel portal somewhere in there?" He asked with a teasing snicker.

"Oh, so I'm a comedian in my next regeneration, yeah?"

"You might want to go look for her then," Eleven suggested sharply. "Our most jeopardy-friendly Rose Tyler just might find herself in some strife if we leave her alone for too long." He extended his neck to look at what the Doctor held in his hand. His eyes widened in thrill. "Oh. It _can’t_ be. Tell me, is that what I think it ias?"

Ten looked down to his hand, and then held the item up to show his brother. His smile was wide, toothy, and quite possibly reached out to both ears. "Oh yes. It is!"

He launched from his seat on the stairs, with thrill in his eyes, and met his brother on the main deck of the home. The three women watched with wide eyes and high brows to see two very grown and typically very distinguished Time Lords excitedly fussing over what looked to be a child's toy.

River Song looked on with cautious surprise at the regression into childhood of both men. She spoke on a worried breath. "Did you happen to stick around long enough to find out what that thing is, Rose?"

"It was in the old nursery, and so I am going to assume that it's a toy," she suddenly clutched onto River's hand and tugged her down to a crouch. "You may want to duck, though," she belched as she snapped her hand forward to pull Amy down as well. "I was there long enough to know that it does _this_."

The three of them managed to get out of the way fast enough to avoid a hot and blue laser streak blasting just up over their heads. There was a boisterous cheer from Ten as a trinkling of silver leaves shattered out of the tree and onto both TARDIS machines.

"Ha!"

Amy spluttered in her crouch. " _That's_ a _child's toy_?"

"That surprises you," River said with a roll of her eyes. "These guys? I wouldn't be surprised if their parents had them playing with roentgen bricks and …"

"There was a decent wall of those very bricks in the nursery, actually," Rose interrupted as another shot blasted over their heads, this one at the hands of Eleven. "Let's get out of here before the two of them completely obliterate this place." She tugged at Amy's hand and looked curiously to River. "Are you coming with us, or are you going to stay here and play with the boys and their toys?"

"While the prospect of being alone with two very handsome Doctors is very attractive," River answered with a purr. She let the pause hang slightly and then shrugged a coy shoulder. "I think it might be a nice idea to explore this beautiful countryside with a couple of ladies."

"And make sure we don't get into trouble, yeah?" Rose offered with a high brow. She passed a look to Amy, who seemed to hold the same question in her mind.

"The Doctor might have suggested that if either of you wander it may be a good idea for me to come along." She held up her hands defensively. "Not that I believe for a moment that either of you are unable to come to your own defense if necessary." She petted her hip. "But I am always carrying, whereas you aren't."

"Which Doctor?" Amy queried as they all fell into step, three-girls-across, along the dusty path.

" _My_ Doctor," she answered with a purr. She looked past Amy to Rose. "I don't believe that your version of the Doctor has full trust in me as yet to assign your protection to me."

"Oh," Rose sang somewhat annoyed. " _My_ version of the Doctor knows that I'm good to take care of myself. I've been working with Torchwood for almost four years chasing down aliens and robots and scary stuff." She chuckled lightly. "And let's not forget that I'm also Bad Wolf," she said with a playful huff and puff and a scratch in the air ahead of her.

“Bad Wolf?” River Song queried with a high brow. “As in Gallifrey’s Wolf?”

“Meh,” she muttered in response as she gnawed on her thumbnail.

"What's Bad Wolf," Amy queried softly.

"If Rose is referring to what I think she is, the Gallifreyan texts suggest that the Wolf is a being that is woven into the fabric of time. She holds the universes greatest and most dangerous secret, and is the fierce protector of the Storm," River Song answered very slowly.

Rose chuckled. “With me being the Bad Wolf, and the Doctor being called the Oncoming Storm, you could kind of believe it.”

"But that's just a fairy tale, Rose."

"Well," she said with a high shrug. "Depends who you speak to, and then how you interpret it. You're an archaeologist and a scholar, River," Rose offered in a friendly tone as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "You know that all ancient tales are twisted from some form of the truth."

"That's true," River acquiesced with a nod of her head. "But tell me. Do _you_ believe that you're the wolf of lore?"

Rose immediately spat out a breath of laughter. "Not a bloody word of it. But," she said softly. "Rassilon apparently does, and that means so does the Doctor

"Really?" River’s tone was doubtful.

"Yes. _Really_."

"And how do you know that Rassilon believes this?"

Rose paused in her step for a moment. Her head tilted down as she wondered just how much she should say to a woman that she barely knew. Finally she angled her head downward and shot a cryptic smile toward the other blonde in the party. "Spoilers."

"Ooh," Amy laughed darkly. "That must burn to have that one thrown right back atcha."

"It's not entirely pleasant," River admitted with a laugh. "So touche, Rose Tyler."

"What is this whole Bad Wolf thing," Amy asked with friendly curiosity. "I've heard about it here and there. The Doctor bristles when he hears or sees the name."

"Oh," Rose answered as her eyes flared momentarily in remembrance. "Wow. It goes back, actually, to the Doctor's ninth regeneration."

"You've known him for _that_ long," River queried.

"It's not really as long as it seems," Rose said with a shrug. "I only spent two years with him before I got trapped in the other parallel. Then two years apart, less than 12 hours back together, and I was left – once again – in the parallel world, but this time with my Doctor."

"Who our Doctor believed was human."

"Something like that." She pulled her hair back from her face. "So. Anyway. We were trapped, Me, the Doctor and Captain Jack, on a satellite orbiting earth in the year 200,100. We were facing down an entire Dalek Battle fleet. The Doctor was trying to create a delta wave to kill them all. He must've worked out that it wasn't going to work , and so he tricked me into going into the TARDIS so he could send me back to Earth." Her face tightened up as she recalled the moment that she realized he’d tricked her. "Oh. I was so mad at him. So mad."

"Are you saying that he gave you his TARDIS? His precious time machine and his only way to escape?" Amy smiled a swoon. "All to made sure that he sent you home safe. Oh," she breathed. "That's so romantic."

Rose shook her head. "The Doctor and romance don't belong on the same page, let alone the same sentence. He was just fulfilling a promise he made to my Mum that he would always protect and keep me safe."

"I've always found the Doctor to be very romantic," River offered with her own kind of swooning smile. "Very."

Rose's eyes were wide and her brows high. "Lucky you. I guess his current regeneration got the romance personality whereas my version got the flirt with anything with a set of boobs." Her brow flicked in tease. "If he wasn’t so incredibly gorgeous, the flirting might not be such an issue. He smiles and a thousand women drop to his feet."

Amy licked at her lip, raised her brows and nodded. "I think I've kind of got to agree with you on that, Rose. By comparison, your Doctor very, very good looking. I think if he got the flirt on with me, I’d probably be affected by it."

Rose snorted. “Do I eyeball you as competition, Amy?”

“Nah,” she laughed. “I’ve seen his next incarnation. You can keep him.” She bumped Rose with her hip. "So. Anyway. Go on."

"Oh. Yes." Rose skipped lightly. "So. Here I was, back at the Powel Estate all pissed off with him and upset that he would send me home while he was fighting for his life and for Earth." She spun to stand ahead of the trio and walked backwards. "But, before all this started, all the time, yeah. _All the time_ that we’d been together the Doctor and me had been seeing the words _Bad Wolf_ everywhere. All across time and space we kept seeing these words. We thought it was a warning.".

Amy was enthralled. "Yeah, and?"

"Well. Back on my Earth, I was walking with my ex, Mickey, and I began to see those words again. Everywhere. All around me. And that's when I worked out that it was a _sign_ , not a warning. It was a message telling me that I could get back to him."

"But I don’t understand," River asked with a raised brow. "Why couldn't you just fly the TARDIS back? That's what I would have done."

"Well, I can't fly a TARDIS, can I? He's never taught me." Rose muttered with a slight indignant huff. "He had it set to Security Protocol One, which means even if I could pilot her, the TARDIS wouldn't respond. She was sent away to die, and she knew it."

Amy was close to requiring popcorn and a blanket to snuggle into to keep hearing the story. "So how'd you get back?"

"Well," Rose began with a laugh. "I tore apart the TARDIS, didn't I?"

"How the hell did you do that?"

"With a tow truck of all things," Rose said with a laugh. "When we couldn't do it with Mickey's mini, Mum got us rescue truck. We hooked it up to the console, and Mickey dropped the accelerator. Took a bit, but finally it ripped open the console." She licked at her lip, noticing the two shocked pairs of eyes staring at her. Her excitement quelled a little. "So that's when I looked into the heart of the TARDIS. I looked into her, and she looked into me."

"You looked into the Vortex, Rose?" River spat in shock. "You can't do that! Not even the Time Lords can do that."

"I didn't just look into it," she argued softly. "I absorbed it. The whole thing. The TARDIS and I, we were one for five wonderful minutes. She took me back to the Doctor, and I saved him from the Daleks. With a wave of my hand, I destroyed the entire fleet. Half a million Daleks, and their emperor, reduced to dust at my hand."

"Wow," Amy breathed. "And?"

"Yes," River added curiously. "How did you get rid of the Vortex power to be standing here with us today?" Her eyes widened. "Is that how you became Time Lord?"

"Yes and no, River," she began. "Most of the power was taken from me by the Doctor." She smiled a wistful smile as she recalled that first kiss. Her smile quickly faltered. "I was in so much pain. My head hurt. I was burning up. And he said the most cheesy thing to me. _C'mere. I think you need a Doctor_." She paused at a giggle from Amy. "And then he kissed me. Kissed me! It was our first kiss. He was so gentle, so soft, but so passionate at the same time." She blinked back a tear as she looked toward Amy and River. "He took the power from me to save me, but it killed him. He regenerated right in front of me on the TARDIS. He became, _well_. My Doctor."

"And you say he isn't romantic," Amy challenged. "He _died_ for you, Rose. That's right up there on top of the romantic things to do list."

She smiled a lightly wet smile. "He also burned up a sun just to say good bye to me when we got separated across the walls of the universe."

Amy couldn't help it. Not at all. At that admission, she had to go all _girl_ and launch a hug around Rose. "That's love," she breathed into her ear. "Real love, Rose." She backed off just slightly, and gripped lightly at her upper arms. "We are lucky girls, you and me. Our men are such romantics. Rory waited two-thousand years for me."

Rose hooked her arm through Amy's. "Okay. I shared my story, now you tell me yours. Tell me how that adorable husband of yours waited two thousand years for you."

River wore a frown as she slowed her walk and watched the two young women walk arm in arm down the road. Here were two very different women with two very different men desperately in love with them – one of them holding the four hearts of two men – and she was still struggling to make the man she loved, the one she was married to in her timeline, take notice of her.

As Amy's story drew to a close, and Rose whimpered in a romance-novel-swoon in response, River dared approach the subject.

"Can I ask you both something," she ventured quietly. "I suppose this question is more directed to Rose than Amy, but you," she indicated Amy. "You know him better than Rose in this regeneration."

Rose and Amy shared a look, but were intrigued.

"Sure," Rose answered with a flick of her hand to ask River to walk with them. "What's on your mind? Do you have a tale of romance with our Doctor in a Bowtie to share?"

"I can only wish," she answered on a sigh.

"I thought you said that he was romantic."

She nodded. "In my future, yes. He takes me on romantic evenings and shares much of himself with me."

"But," Amy hazarded. "I sense a _but_ in there."

"I know what the but is," Rose offered. "You're having a problem getting him close to where you are in your future, and it has you worried that your marriage is one of those flux lines instead of a fixed point." She caught River's sudden look. "The Doctor told me about you a long time ago. About two months after we landed at Bad Wolf Bay. We kind of got into a mild argument about it, actually. Jealous me and all that."

Amy laughed. "Bad Wolf Bay? Really?" she sang in a haunted voice.

"So you knew that the Doctor and I are married in a future time line?"

She nodded. "Yes, I do. But I shouldn't, and he certainly shouldn't have known."

"What did I do to tell him that we were?"

Rose pursed her lips. “Yeah.  That’s right. It hasn’t happened for you yet.” She rubbed at her brows with the heel of her hand. “Let me just say _spoilers,_ then, because I can’t tell you the circumstances surrounding your meeting the Doctor in his Tenth incarnation.”

“Then I can’t exactly defend my actions, then, can I?” She argued. “But if I broke my own rule and told him I was his wife, then it was obviously a life or death moment, and I had to tell him."

Rose shook her head. “Actually no. It wasn’t. Well it was, but…” She threw her head back in frustration. “Ugh! I can’t tell you the bits and bobs about it, River. I can’t."  She let out a breath and inhaled deeply. "Just.  All I have to offer you in the way of advice is to step back.  To stop pushing on him who you will be to him in the future.  Let him find you."

"I love him."

"Then let him fall in love with you," she urged. "Let the Doctor fall in love, not be told he has to be in love because that’s his future."

"Well, you have to admit that it's difficult to be his new lover when his old one is around reminding him of what he gave up."

"Don't blame my presence on his aloof behavior. Sure we flirt, we always did, and we always will. I love him. I always will, but I'm desperately in love with and pair bonded to his brother. I'm defintitely not looking to pick up where we left off." She put her arm on River's wrist in a gentle gesture.  Her voice softened. "Are you and the Doctor lovers, right here, right now? In both of your time lines, right at this very moment, are you in love with each other?"

River Song remained quiet, her eyes misted. "No. It's still very one-sided."

"Well. Do you want my advice?" She gave a genuine smile. "From my own observations, of course."

"Sure. I'm listening," she said dryly.

"Stop cornering him. Stop with the _Sweetie_ and _my love_ sentiments all the time. " She looked with honesty to the older woman. "The Doctor. He needs to make that decision on his own and you're not giving him that. You're forcing it on him and telling him his future like he has no choice at all. He's a Time Lord, remember. He won't change his own timeline. If you're telling him this is it, that you and he are destiny, then you've taken his choice away, taken away the thrill of falling for each other."

Her head dropped. "I guess I can see what you're saying."

"Obviously you're married in the future. Clearly he loves you. He probably loves you more than he ever loved me. Who knows?" She shrugged. "But for now, stop pushing it because all you're going to do is push him away." She smiled then and wrapped around River's arm tightly. "He loves so hard, River, so passionately. He'll fall, crash, and burn for you, and when he does, all the tears of frustration you cried are going to be so worth it. But till then you have to let him take that leap on his own. Ease up. Be there when he needs you and back off when he needs his space."

"That was what you did?"

"Oh hell no," she laughed. "That daft alien idiot kept sending me away, and I kept on coming back. I was an annoying little mosquito he had to swat away all the time." She playfully swatted the air to illustrate her point. "Eventually he realized that he would be stuck with me. So he created a biological meta crisis version of himself and handed him over. In cahoots with the Daleks, too, I say. So meticulously planned – little shit."

Amy gasped with wide eyes as she dramatically covered her mouth. "Oh. You're right! He doesn't go into anything without a plan."

"Well most of the time, yeah, he does, but…" She had to laugh. "How's that for a strategic session in the briefing room? The Doctor, Davros and the Daleks all gathered around the big round boardroom desk surrounded by computer screens and papers as they finalize the ultimate plan to get rid of that annoying human girl who is all doe-eyed at the Doctor and – oh gasp – even told him that she loved him!"

River Song shook her head. "You two. _Really_."

"I hate the Daleks," Rose admitted in a sobering voice. "Everything devastating that's happened to him, to me, to us, always involves a bloody Dalek."

Rose was still walking and muttering about her dislike of Daleks when she collided with Amy's back. She squeaked slightly with surprise and urged Amy to walk forward with a light nudge of her shoulder. "Everything okay, Amy?"

Amy's face was lengthened in horror and her mouth slightly gaped as she looked into a small village ahead of them. She shook her head. "Rose. River. Um. I think we should call the Doctors."

River and Rose followed Amy's gaze and both let out identical gasps of horror to the scene ahead of them. The small medieval style village nestled beside a forested swampland was deserted of people, quiet and eerie. Fires still burned in small firepits, with food still cooking in large pots over the fire. Chickens and sheep lumbered about, scratching in the streets, or nuzzling though bags of food.

Slightly beyond the village limits, to where the forest and swamp began, the trees buckled. Shattered and splintered trunks, black and singed, gated around a large, golden ship buried in the swamp and caged by fallen trees.

Rose hitched a breath. She knew exactly what she was looking at. "Now we know where last night's storm came from," she admitted with a gulp. "Atmospheric disturbance."

"Oh the Doctors aren't going to be happy," Amy whined. "They were finally relaxing."

The grin on River's face was one of thrill as she pulled her gun from her thigh holster. "Then we don't tell them, do we?"

Rose shot her a look of query. "What are you saying?"

"You work for Torchwood," River challenged as she threw her another sidearm. "How many times have you gone in without your Doctor at your side."

"Oh. No. You can't suggest that with a straight face, River. That'll make him more pissed off than if we do tell him." She slouched. "And I really don't like him when he gets all Oncoming Storm in my direction."

"Oh," River sang. "Live a little, Rose." She dipped her head in between the two ladies. "Let's have some fun. go in there, bang boom pop, and be home in time for dinner."

"I wouldn't consider a Dalek scout craft to be a tin can full of happy happy joy joy," Rose countered. But she shrugged. "But. Yeah. Okay. Why not? We're here anyway, right?" She looked to Amy. "Got experience with these little cans of hate?"

"I sure do." She put her hand out. "Give me a gun. I'm in."

Rose checked the lock of her gun. "Before we go in, let's get our stories clear for our husbands back at home."

"They'll never know," River said with a toss of her head.

"Oh. They will," Rose countered. "Sneaky little sixth sense thing they have going on, remember." She rubbed at her brow and pointed to River Song. "You are a terrifically bad influence, you know that River?"

"Yep."

“Which only means that you and I will probably end up the absolute best of friends, yeah?”

River winked. “Oh, I’m counting on it, _Sweetie_.”

"Okay. Okay. Um." She looked up, and then looked down to the ground. "I'm a Torchwood agent. Citizens are in peril. It's my sworn duty to protect them. And I left my cellphone in the TARDIS." She looked at Amy. "That works, yeah? Reckon the lads will buy it?"

"I'm sold," Amy said with a wink. "Now. Enough worrying about the reactions of the lads and more getting into trouble. Let's go have a chat to the new neighbours."

 


	31. Girl Power

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leaving their Doctors behind and nonethewiser about the danger only a short TARDIS jump from the homestead, the Ladies of the Doctor sneak on board the Dalek ship.

The trio of armed and dangerous _Women of the Doctor_ cautiously moved through the tiny village. Their guns were held high, their shoulders hunched deep, and their eyes locked along the barrel of each weapon. River had taken up the main central point of their V-spread. Rose stood slightly back and off to River's Right; Amy cautiously took up the left.

Halfway through the village, they still had seen no sign of the enemy they currently hunted.

"I really don't like that it's so quiet," Amy muttered as she swung her firearm toward a rooster that spooked her with a cawk from atop a table. "Have the lads got meat for dinner tonight? Because I just found a worthy candidate."

River let up a chuckle as Amy whispered _bang_ and pretended to pull back on the trigger on the animal. "The Doctors were planning to pull together something traditional to the area. I'm not quite sure if it involved meat – and if so, just what kind."

"Shoot it," Rose muttered. "Just in case they offer up a Kasterborian cat or dog." She shrugged when she received a look of horror from River. "Hey. With those two you never know."

"Yeah," Amy breathed with a shudder. "I've learned that the hard way. I thought I was eating beef, turns out it was not anywhere near close to that species of animal."

"Speaking of," Rose added with a lick of her lips. "Are you sure we don't want to bring in our Doctors for this? They are specialists against the Daleks, afterall." She looked at her gun and let out a huff. "And you do know that these things are absolutely useless against Daleks, right?"

River seemed extraordinarily disappointed as she flailed her arms in annoyance and huffed dramatically. "If you really think we should interrupt the boys in their single moment of downtime in the last how ever many centuries, then by all means go ahead and call them. I happen to think we are more than well enough equipped to handle a small band of Daleks."

"Have you ever come up against them before, River?" Rose asked sharply. "And I mean more than one at a time."

"I have," she said through a toothy and smug grin. "And they're absolutely terrified of me."

"Oh well good for you," Rose muttered with a roll of her eyes. She trained her eyes along the length of the gun and stared at the beast of a machine ahead of them. She licked at her lip and smiled. "I just thought, you know, the opportunity to sit back and watch two Doctor's in action, together, going against their greatest foe." She winked to Amy. "Wouldn't that be worth taking a back seat for?"

That image made all three girls pause in consideration. Rose purred, Amy hummed, and River panted.

"That is _almost_ enough to convince me," River came back with a wink. " _But_. But I'm getting a case of cabin fever right now and really need to take it out on something. _So_. You can call the Doctors and just tell them I'll meet them inside." She kissed at her gun and sauntered toward the ship with a deliberate sway in her hip.

"She's taunting me," Rose muttered to Amy with a grump. "Talk about your classic peer group pressure tactic."

Amy shrugged. "Yeah, but what can ya do?" She turned to walk backward while she spoke to Rose. "She's my daughter, so I'm going to follow."

"Hang on," Rose called as she jogged a few steps to catch up. "She's your _what_?"

“Daughter.”

“But she’s older than _you_!”

"Oh," Amy sighed. "Long story."

Rose rolled her eyes and nodded. "Ahh. Yes. Big Ball of Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey kind of thing."

"Oh. That sums it up perfectly.” Amy answered with an amused hum. “When you travel with the Doctor, is there anything else?"

Rose shook her head. "No. Not really." She pointed her gun toward the ship, and to where River was climbing onto the top to open a hatch. "Well, then, let's go protect your little girl … who you _actually_ let marry the Doctor?"

"I haven't yet," she answered with a wink. She then looked at her gun. "Is it true that these things are useless?"

Rose nodded. "But don't worry," she managed with a grunt as she pulled herself up over the edge of the craft and lightly slid along the declined wing of the ship. She leaned her arm over the edge to offer a hand of assistance to Amy still below. "I didn't actually leave my cellphone on the TARDIS. I'll put a call into Spencer. I'm sure that some jiggery-pokery-portal-manipulation can get us something pretty effective from Torchwood to help out."

"So you'll call _Spencer_ for help, but not the Doctor?" Amy grumbled with strain as she used Rose's arm as a holdfast to walk her legs up the edge of the ship. "What a fantastic idea. I’m sure that the Doctor will be thrilled as punch that you chose Spencer over him to help out. I simply can’t wait to see his reaction."

"Sarcasm was unnecessary." Rose rolled her eyes with agreement. "But. Yeah, you’re right.”

“Of course I’m right,” Amy barked. “You call Spencer to help and it’ll put both Doctors on a level of pissed off that’s off the scale."

River leaned both forearms on the edge of the ledge just above them. "Actually, I don't think either of them would actually get past the fact that we utilized the time stream and interdimensional portal to obtain the necessary items to effect this defeat." She dropped both arms to offer support to both girls. She tipped her head to Rose. "Her Doctor would probably be so damn proud of his new blonde Time Lord in training that he'd take her into the closest TARDIS and drill her against the console for the next week."

"There are so many parts of that statement that are insulting I simply don't know where to begin," Rose sniffed with a roll of her eyes as she clutched River's hand and walked up the edge of the ship. "So many."

"I was going to say that it's the crudest comment I've heard this side of high school," Amy muttered. "But you can't really deny it's true. He _would_."

"Would that happen before or after I got the Oncoming Storm lecture?" She pointed a finger into River's chest. "Which I am _not_ going through alone by the way."

"Probably _during_ ," River offered with a wink. She shook her head. "Rose. Tell me. What was your rank at Torchwood?"

"My rank is Commander." She stepped forward to peer over the very edge of a large, round, glass window overlooking the interior of the ship. "I'm still with Torchwood."

River stepped to her side and looked into the room as Amy moved in to the other side of Rose. "Okay, Commander…"

"Don't call me that," Rose whispered as she scanned the entire area below. "We're equal. All three of us, okay?"

"Nice sentiment, Rose. Tell me, what are you thinking," River asked as her eyes tracked the movements of Daleks below.

"I think stronger weapons are needed," she admitted. "I can see four Daleks, which means there are more rolling about down there." She bit at her nail. "Looks like they have the whole village hostage down there. But why? Do they know that the Doctors are here?"

"Nah," Amy wheezed. "There would have been some considerable _nya nya nya we've got civilians so Doctor show yourself_ threats happening if they knew."

River grunted as she strained to look past the group of people. "Which is actually surprising considering they're so damn scared of the Doctor." She checked the magazine on her gun. "This means that those people have something that the Daleks want, or need."

Amy took a look back at the village. "Like _what_? This place looks like something out of Robin Hood. Not exactly a technology hub full of toys for tins wearing skirts."

River snapped her head to Rose. "What do you know about Kasterborous, Rose?"

Rose shrugged. "About as much as you, I guess."

"You have a Time Lord brain, and yet you don't know anything about the Constellation that Gallifrey resided in?"

"Condescending much," Rose muttered with a curl in her lip. "I've had this big old Time Lord brain for about five minutes. I haven't exactly walked around and checked all the filing cabinets yet." She pressed both hands on the glass and looked down at the gathering. "The Doctor's Mum is supposed to give me a little help on being able to access it all. When we have time, of course. Right now the information kind of comes in bits and bobs as I need it."

"Well," she whispered. "We need it. We have to know why the Daleks need these people?"

Rose closed her eyes a moment and gave a deliberately dramatic breath. "A simple phone call would answer this question, you know that, right?"

"Time's awastin'" River urged.

Rose tilted her head to one side, her eyes still closed. After a moment her eyes snapped open. "This is the village of Visol, the telepathic hub of the planet Borrav. This village is – for lack of a better word – a _tribe_ of intrabred psychic beings. They number only 42 at any given time, breeding only when visions suggest that there is an imminent death."

"Creepy," Amy mumbled. "Knowing when someone's about to croak."

"Keep going, Rose," River urged. "Telepathy isn't exactly something the Daleks would want to harness."

Rose shook her head. "The number is specific because this provides them with the pyschic tetracontakaidigon that powers this planet, and keeps the orbit of the planet on path. Without it, this planet would shoot like a bullet into the sun."

"Which would be very very bad," Amy offered with a wince. "Lose just one of them and this planet is toast."

"Not just the planet," Rose said with a slight whine. "The resulting explosion would be great enough that the entire constellation would go with it." She rubbed at her head. "If the Universe loses Kasterborous, then…"

"It would be worse than the Reality Bomb," Amy finished. "The Gateway to time itself is in this constellation."

"Someone's been listening to the Doctor's lectures," River said with a wink. She looked back to Rose. "So it's very safe to say that if just one of those tribal members are killed, this shit would most certainly hit the fan."

"You could say that," Amy muttered.

"There is something else," Rose offered as she chewed on her thumb nail. "The psychic energies created by the power of the tetracontakaidigon is the power behind this planet." She looked to River. "And could he harnessed to power and stabilize a massive portal that the Daleks could use to pull in a full battle fleet. Or, alternatively, send the Daleks to a parallel to wreak some pretty impressive Hell everywhere else."

"Which would make more sense," River agreed. "They want total universe domination and destruction. That would have to include any parallel universes."

"So either way," Amy offered. "This is all bad. Very very bad."

"Add another suitcase of bad." River said with a wince.

"The entire cargo hold more like it," Rose said with a sigh. "But the question is. How did the Daleks know about this village. Only the Time Lords know the precise location and the power of the Visol people."

"My fingers are crossed that it's blind luck," River muttered. She turned to the girls. "So. What do we want to do?"

"First things first," Rose said quickly. "We need to get into their main control room and make sure that we make them deaf and mute to any other Dalek crafts that might be swanning about out there." Her head ticked. "Actually, best to see if there is anything else lurking out there and find a way to play boom crash opera on them. Blow the bug eyed sucker hand tin cans of hate to hell so they never come back."

River bit at her lip to squaff a smile. Amy's eyes widened.

"Hey," Rose groused with a smile. "They're ruining my honeymoon. I will destroy them all."

"Oh," River sighed with a smile. "I can see why he loves you. I think I've fallen in love with you too."

"Please. For the love of everything that's holy, please don't tell the Doctor that. He’s got a rather vile jealous streak, I hear." She scanned the platform they were standing on in search of a way to get into the belly of the beast. "Amy. Could you please call or send a text to our boys and tell them what we've got here, tell them we could probably use their help?" She shot a glare to River before she could argue. "There is a potential for universal collapse across parallels, River. There's no choice. We have to call them."

"Agreed," Amy said with a nod as Rose located an entry hatch and hauled it open with a moan. "Need help with that?"

River nodded with a light roll of her eyes. "Then let me do it. I'll contact the boys, both of you head on in." She waved them on in a she held the phone to her ear. After a moment, she purred. "Hello Sweetie…"

"What did I say about calling him _Sweetie_ , River," Rose hollered as she disappeared into the craft.

"Give her a break," Amy muttered as she climbed down the rusted ladder above Rose. "Habits die hard, remember. And oh, so will I if I don't get a tetanus booster when we get out of here." She let her feet touch at the floor and looked with disgust at her hands. "I guess Daleks have no need for ladder maintenance, right?"

Rose had much the same expression on her face as she rubbed her hands on her jeans. Her focus was on the end of the corridor, however, and she fairly swiftly rose up out of her light stoop to move quickly along the corridor.

Amy saw the switch in Rose's demeanour that suggested friendly banter wouldn't be very much appreciated at this juncture. She'd seen enough military types in her travels with the Doctor to know when they'd decided the fun was over and the business end of world protection had to start. She fell into easy stride at Rose's side and was sure to keep her voice no louder than a hoarse whisper.

"Orientated, yet?"

Rose shook her head. "New layout. This design isn't in the blueprints in my head." She looked left and then right. And then she looked left again. "This way."

At movement slightly around the corner, Rose put her hand back to stop Amy behind her. She pressed her finger to her lips and thumbed in the direction of the corner. Her eyes fell to Amy's gun and she gave her a nod to tell her to be ready. Rose waited with her back pressed against the wall and her knees bent and primed to leap fast. She could sense that the thing moving down the hallway was not a Dalek, and was more than happy to take a piece out of whatever it was.

Amy prepared herself as she watched Rose tense and prepare. "Do you know what's coming?"

Rose shook her head quickly and again pressed her finger to her lips. She held for another second, and then launched as their corner was breached. Amy gasped at how fast Rose moved to twist, hook her ankle around the leg of the intruder, and then trip them to the ground. Rose very quickly ended with her forearm across the intruder's throat, her nose to their nose, and the muzzle of her firearm underneath their ear.

River Song looked up into Rose's steeled eyes and purred a husky voice. "Well. Remind me not to sneak up on _you_ in a dark alleyway."

Rose actually slumped. She was quickly on her feet and dropped her arm to help River to her feet. "Sorry 'bout that."

"Don't be," she replied with a waggle in her brow. "That was actually very impressive, unexpected, and quite thrilling, to be honest."

"Did you get hold of the Doctor?" Rose had obviously decided that the time for niceties had long since passed. "Are they on their way?"

River brushed dust from her shoulder and butt and gave a firm nod. "I reached my Doctor, and he passed along the information to the other boys. None too happy, any of them. I know some Gallifreyan, ladies, but nothing that came out of the mouths of those two boys when I broke it down for them." She bit her smile. "But they're on their way."

"Did you advise against using the TARDIS?"

"Yes. And that never goes down well with them, as you know." She looked at her watch. "We made it here in thirty minutes with a walk, we're looking at a minimum of fifteen to twenty minutes for them to get here at a run."

Rose bit at her nail. "So until then, we are on our own."

"Under advisement to not touch anything," River clarified. "Stay out of trouble is the message I got."

Amy let up a short laugh. "Yeah. A little too late for that, right?"

"You think they'd know better by now."

"They do. That's the problem," Rose muttered as she grabbed at Amy's hand and tugged her to walk with her around the corner. "I can hear the hum of the main control and communications platform through here. We need to get in and make a mess to make it easier for the guys for when they get here."

"What did you have in mind," River asked with a high brow.

Rose winked. "Back on the Crucible, I learned a thing or two about how to handle a Dalek fleet." She walked with her back along the wall, keeping a watchful eye on their path. "But first thing first, we need to monitor the sky and make sure there's no other evil tin cans swanning about up there and make sure that any communication feeds are bypassed to the TARDIS rather than to any other Dalek ship."

River seemed particularly thrilled. "And you think you can do that?"

"Easy peasy lemon squeezy," Rose sang as she rounded the corner and burst into the main control room with her weapon out ready to fire. "Oh. Empty. Gotto like that."

"Oh. I don't know that I do," Amy muttered worriedly. "That never means good things."

"Keep watch at the door," Rose ordered as she kicked at a panel to remove it and dove into the wiring. She pointed to the communication console. "River, scan the skies for us? I'll fiddle down here."

"Need any help," River asked.

"If you have a sonic, that'd be great."

 


	32. Dalek Schmalek

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's a ship full of Daleks to the three ladies of the Doctor? Rose, Amy and River wait for their Time Lords to drop by, but don't simply sit around and check their nails...

_"Need any help," River asked._

_"If you have a sonic, that'd be great."_

River looked to the ceiling with a smile. "No. I don't have a sonic." Her eyes dropped as the communications line opened. "Seems that your name has to be Doctor to get one of those." She tapped at a couple of buttons. "The ship's sending out a general SOS communication into open space. Not to any ship in particular."

"Count ourselves lucky the signal hasn't been intercepted yet." She yelped at a zap and the raining of sparks over her face. "Stupid shittin’ mongrel bloody loose wire connection …"

River Song had to laugh as the language became slightly more colourful. "Has _he_ ever heard you use language like that, Rose?"

“I swear occasionally.”

“Oh,” River chuckled. “I’m talking about the Big one.”

"You mean the F-Bomb? It’s not really a favourite of mine. So no, he hasn’t." A slightly singed index finger rose up from underneath the console. "That would have been, however, a very justifiable use of that swear, thank you. I got a boo boo from that one."

"So you’ve never even said it to him in a low and throaty growl in his ear?" River Song watched the finger disappear back into the wiring, but not before it flicked from side to side in a _nuh-uh_ signal . She smirked as she opened the command prompt to reroute the signal. "I'm sending the feed through to your TARDIS, Rose. As she has the parallel energies instead of the wavelength signal emitted by our TARDIS, it shouldn't be recognized by this ship as being the wrong intercept when the sonic bounces back."

"Atta Girl. Thanks. You know. For a race of beings that has a toilet plunger for a hand and no opposable digits, they can certainly put together some pretty damn complicated wiring set ups." She then cheered; an indication that the wire she was struggling with was re-ported correctly. "Oh yes! I'm a genius!"

"At that remark, I have to say _You've been hanging around the Doctor for way too long_ ," River Song sang. She made an exaggerated swipe at a switch on the console. "My job's done, how about you, Rosie?"

"Don't call me _Rosie_ ," Rose muttered, her teeth obviously around a wire or two. "I'm slightly behind on my mission parameters, but I should be done in just one. _And_ Done!" She wriggled out from under the console and spat the wire between her teeth to the floor. "I've maximized the Dalekanium feeds…"

"That's not very bright, you'll increase their power," River Song snapped with concern.

Rose pulled herself to a stand using the corner of the console for leverage. "If you had let me finish," she warned with a smile. "Then you would have also heard me say that I've set a reversal loop feedback code to my Doctor's Sonic. Once he activates the setting, it will remotely make all those perky little Daleks go boom." She grabbed her phone and tapped in a short text message. As she hit _send_ , she showed the screen to River. "And now he has the setting code. It'll be up to him as to whether or not he wants them destroyed."

"Nice," River purred. "Indeed you are a little genius."

She tapped at her temple. "Time Lord brain, remember." She moved to the main console and dropped her phone beside her as she checked on the communication stream and confirmed the reroute of the signal. "My TARDIS is locked on to the signal, and she's nicely jamming the signal from sending beyond her. My beautiful, beautiful, girl."

"Good little TARDIS." River Song looked to the face of the phone as it lit up with a return message. "Only the Doctor can run and text at the same time. Oh. How sweet. He says he loves you. Oh. And…" She laughed.

"And?" Rose peered at the screen. Her lips shifted into an "O" shape. "Yeah. Like that's a possibility," she muttered with a roll of her eyes. "Stay out of trouble. Pfft. I'm married to trouble." She cleared her throat and focused on the system in front of her. "We need to create a weapons malfunction on both the Daleks and this ship." She looked down her shoulder at River as she considered the options. "Ahh. Shit. How did Donna pull that off back on the crucible?" She rubbed at her brow. "Oh, Doctor, I could use your memory recall right now."

"You have it," River suggested harshly. "Just tap into it. Think, Rose. Think."

Amy coughed from the doorway. "And think _quick_. We've got a tin can on the approach." She spun to the pair. "Want me to distract it while you think of how to disable it?"

River Song shook her head abruptly. "No. For the love of. No."

Amy shifted foot to foot. "Well you won't have a choice in about 45 seconds, because it's at the end of the corridor. I'm out there if you haven't thought of a way to disable it." She juggled her firearm for effect.

"I'll kill you myself if you do," Rose snarled. "We don't separate. Got me?"

"Thirty seconds," Amy warned. "I mean it."

Rose's eyes flashed up at River. "Go hold your mum back, okay? I think I know what I have to do to disable their weapons systems."

"Then you'd better hurry," River warned darkly. "She's as stubborn as the Doctor is. No, actually she’s way worse."

"Crap." She swiped frantically at the console, creating a system of flicks and presses against switches and buttons. She jumped back as the console sparked, and blew the smoke out of the way as she peered to the weapons indicator. She blew air tightly into her cheeks and let out a rumbling, lip flapping, proud exhale. "I am going to kiss myself. Really I am."

River's head shot up quickly as Rose sped toward her and Amy. "If you have good news for us, Rose, _I'll_ kiss you!"

"Then pucker up," she teased with a wink. She held up her gun. "Because our little cans of hate aren't going to be _exterminating_ anything today. Weapons are in malfunction, _and_ their shields are down."

Amy looked at her gun. "So this will work."

"You betcha," Rose answered with a grin.

"How," River Song queried.

"Macrotransmission of a K-filter wavelength to block the Dalek weaponry in a self-replicating energy blindfold matrix, thank you Donna Noble!" She tapped at her temple again and squeaked excitedly. "I can totally get used to this, you know."

River grinned wide. She tipped her head to one side and cupped Rose's cheeks in her hands. "I said I would." She laughed at Rose's startled gasp as she ostentatiously slammed her mouth against hers. She released her mouth with a loud wet smack sound and licked her lips. "Mmm. You taste like vanilla."

"Oh-kay," Rose breathed slowly as she backed off a step. "You just go stand over there, okay?" She snapped out of it with River's hearty laugh and winked to Amy with a flick of her head into the corridor. "You want the honours?"

"Oh yes," Amy cheered as she leapt into the corridor and fired off a pair of shots from her gun. She danced and blew at the muzzle of the weapon as she strode back into the room. "One down, how many to go?"

"Computer suggests that there are twelve Daleks on board this vessel," Rose advised as she thumbed through her phone to check on the location of the Doctors via the _Find my iPhone_ app. "They're going to be scattered about in here, but our priority is the Visol people." Her lips curled as she lifted her head from the phone and slid it into her jeans pocket. "ETA for the boys is about seven minutes if they can maintain their current foot speed." She looked to River. "And I'm not really of the mood to hang about and check on my manicure. _You_?"

"I boarded via the main observation deck where the Visol people are being held," she offered. "I know the way there."

"Great." She looked to Amy. "How about you? Are you okay to…"

"I'm in, Rose," Amy quickly injected. "We have to finish what we started here, yeah?"

Rose grabbed at Amy's hand as River led them in a run through the corridors of the Dalek ship. More than once, the girls skidded to a halt and pressed their backs into the wall at the sound of a Dalek machine rolling along the metal grating.

"Why aren't we shooting them," Amy asked finally as they allowed the third Dalek to roll by them. "Shouldn't we be killing them all?"

River shook her head as she checked that the corridor was again clear and waved for the ladies to follow. "No. Save your ammunition," she warned. "We don't know what we're going to encounter when we get on the deck."

"Yeah," Rose agreed. "And we don't know how long we're going to have to hold ground until the boys arrive, so conserve all you can."

"But their weapons are disabled," Amy challenged warily. "That's what you said, right?"

Rose nodded as she moved to brace one side of the door that led to their destination. "But you can't underestimate these guys," she warned on a whisper. "We're dealing with a species that continually defies the odds for survival. They have survived several different attempts to completely wipe out their species on multiple occasions."

"Like cockroaches," River snarled as she stood on the opposite side of the doorway to Rose. "Just because Rose was able to put their primary weapons into malfunction, it doesn't mean they don't have other options."

"Or support," Rose hazarded. "If they're not travelling alone, we don't know who they've aligned themselves with."

"Fortunately," River offered. "The Daleks aren't the type to form allegiances."

"You never know, though."

"Good point." River looked into the doorway. Three more Daleks had joined the original group of four to guard the villagers all huddled in silence and meditation on the steel grated floor. "Children," she snarled. "They took even the children."

Rose shifted a disgusted look toward River. "This entire craft will be obliterated," she snarled. "I don't care what the Doctor thinks. I'm not going along with his mission of mercy on this trip. Noone gets to terrify and threaten little children."

Amy grunted in total agreement. "If you need that sonic to destroy this place. River and I will hold him down and get it for you."

"And we'll stand in support and defense of each other if any of those two boys want to give us any heck for it," River growled. Her growl intensified to hear the frightened wail of a child no older than eighteen months old. "Just a baby."

Rose grounded and steadied herself a moment. She shared a look with both girls and licked at her lip to draw a smile across her mouth. "So. Shall we get pull out a little showmanship while we wait the four or so minutes until the twin storms get here?"

River Song brushed herself down and straightened her outfit a little. "I'm ready." She looked to Amy, who merely slid in step beside her. "What about you, Amy?"

"I'm good."

"Okay,' Rose breathed. "Let's go play with the Tin Soldiers, shall we?"

The three ladies stood shoulder to shoulder to shoulder as they strode into the observation deck full of confidence and each wearing matching darkened and disgusted stares.

The one they all assumed to be the lead Dalek – one in a copper colour rather than the standard silvery amber – rolled forward. _"Intruders. Explain yourself."_

"Oh," Rose breathed as she dramatically placed her hand to her chest in faux shock. "You mean this isn't the beach tour for the Club Med group?"

_"Explain,"_ the Dalek ordered again. _"Who are you?"_

River Song winked coyly, noting movement in the shadow of the doorway to the far end of the Observation deck. "Well. We aren't the Three Blind Mice," she offered. Her voice turned to a husky purr. "Although we did scamper very quietly and very _wickedly_ through your little ship and maybe played around a little." She licked at her lip to see the glint of two sets of deep brown eyes lurking in the darkness of the doorway across the other side of the room. Her eyes widened for effect as she tapped the tip of her finger against the blue eyestalk of the Dalek. "We were _very_ naughty. Weren't we, ladies?"

Rose licked at her lip in amusement, trying to pull off the coy, but really not succeeding all that well as her tongue ended up between her teeth in much more innocently seductive grin. "Just a little bit," she answered as she held her finger and thumb only slightly apart. "There may have been a little tampering and hocus pocus done on the main Dalek control consoles. You really must ensure that you have adequate staff on at all times to protect your essential life support systems."

"You just can't get good help anymore," Amy offered with a shrug.

_"Explain who you are, or you will be exterminated."_

"Oh," Rose huffed with a deliberately obvious roll of her eyes. "You won't be exterminating anything."

"No," Amy added as she looked with boredom at her nails. "We've seen to it that you're shooting blanks." She suddenly looked to Rose. "It is that they're shooting blanks, right? Or are they completely dead."

"Totally dead," Rose answered with a downward poke of her thumb. Her eyes caught sight of her Doctor as he moved around the doorway and offered her an encouraging smile.

_"Enough. Exterminate. Exterminate. Exterminate."_

Rose saw the casual lean of her Doctor in the doorway across the deck suddenly shift and lock rigid as he set to burst into the room to get at least one of the girls out of the way of a Dalek weapon. She quickly raised her hand to stop him in his place. "Your weapons don't work here," she said with a laugh. "You're on Borrav, a peaceful planet. Protected by the sons and daughters of Time." She held up her hands in a pose of surrender. "Go ahead and try to shoot me. I won't fight back."

_"Exterminate!"_

Rose waited for the hit of energy. She even dipped her head in challenge and annoyance in having to wait for it.

_"Dalek weapons have malfunctioned. Explain. Explain. Explain."_

"Oh, that one's easy," the Doctor of Ten boasted as he walked around the gathered crowd and through the Daleks with his brother and Rory following closely behind. He struck one of the Daleks on the head with the butt of his fist as he walked past and put his face close to the eyestalk. He wore a sly grin as he leaned his forearm across the head of the beast. "You just happened to land your little ship in the path of three very beautiful and capable women of the Doctor." He looked to the trio with a smile. "Hello ladies. Sorry we're late."

_"Alert. Alert. It's the Doctor."_

"Actually," Eleven breathed with amusement and a little tiny bit of arrogance thrown in. "It's _Doctors._ As in plural."

_"How is this possible. There is only one Doctor."_

"Not anymore," Ten warned as he pressed his eye in close to the eyestalk and then drew back slowly to waggle his brows at the beast inside the machine. "There's two of us now, and ho boy does this mean very bad things for the somehow incredibly resilient Dalek empire." He narrowed his glare into the eyestalk. "Just how is it that you continually manage to survive even the most deadly defenses?" He screwed up his nose and shook his head. "Nope. Doesn't matter. I don't want to know. I've got far more interesting matters to be concerned about rather than how a robot with a squid form inside its shell can continually beat the odds."

Eleven moved to look down the same eyestalk as Ten. Side by side, the brothers Time Lord shared a look with each other and then looked back to the Dalek. Eleven poked his finger into the very front of the eyestalk. "And how is your luck that you managed to threaten our, _well,_ _his_ wife, my future wife and mother in law all in one metallic whine? In all of the universes. In all of time and space, you just happened to stumble on the one planet where our entire family happened to be vacationing."

_"We will be victorious. You will not defeat the Daleks."_

"Yeah. About that." Ten looked to his brother, and held up his Sonic. His brows seated themselves high and his lips pursed as he spoke. "Such bad luck, isn't it?"

"Very. _Very_. Bad."

They both walked backward. Ten's expression morphed into fury as he raised his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the lead Dalek. He wore a sneer, snarl, and horrifically dark eyes as he glared down his arm and along the sonic screwdriver at the Dalek. "Worse for you. You threatened the women we love." His lip curled. "And _no one_ threatens my Rose." He depressed the switch on his Sonic Screw driver. "No one."

He didn't duck as the Dalek in front of him exploded. He didn't flinch as the surrounding Daleks blew into sparks and flames. He stood and watched with hot interest the flaming mutant beast in front of him. He moved only to give it a swift and hard kick to get it out of his way.

“Ladies?” He spun to check on the girls. His face fell into a friendly and gentle smile as he held both hands out to Amy and Rose. "Come on, let's get out of here before this thing blows as well."

"The villagers," Rose panted. "Are they…?"

"Rory was already getting them out of here as we were doing our victory speeches. That's why we took so long with it. We had to make sure," Eleven advised with a frown of analysis as he checked each one of the ladies over as they all ran from the ship. "Are you all unharmed?"

He waited to hear three affirmatives from the ladies and spun to his brother. "You and I need to get back in there and make sure that this ship will _disappear_ from any potential tech scans."

Ten nodded firmly. "Agreed." He looked to Rose. "You and River, how did you bypass the emergency signal?"

River answered on Rose's behalf. "The signal was sent direct to your TARDIS. The TARDIS is utilizing the second machine to block the signals from making it back out into space."

"Nice," he replied with a smile as he turned to Eleven. "We need to cancel that feed; make sure that the TARDIS base codes aren't exposed."

"Perhaps we can keep some of their sonars intact and put a shield over this area to prevent any other _visitors_ dropping by."

"Love that idea."

Rose frowned immediately. "No. You two aren't going back in there. It's set to go up any second."

Ten snatched her in for a one armed hug that quickly turned into a full and tight embrace. "Oh. Don't be a spoilsport. You don't want to take away all of our fun too, do you, Rose? We let you ladies play." He looked down at her with a wink. "Now it’s our turn. We'll be right back, I promise."

"You better," she warned as she released him and stepped back. "Because. Just because, okay? I kinda need you around."

"That's incentive enough for me," he called as he jogged after Eleven. "Oi. Bowtie, Rory, wait up."

Once again the three ladies stood, just them, in the same place they stood before all of the fun had begun.

"Well," River remarked on a sigh. "That's all kind of anticlimactic, don't you think?"

"Somewhat," Rose admitted with a sizeable poke of her bottom lip out and over her top lip.

Amy gave a slight laugh. "You're forgetting who just ran back into that ship, aren't you?" She rolled her eyes with a smile. "That thing will blow sky-high and give these people an incredible fireworks display for the next week."

Rose chuckled knowingly. "True. So true." She thumbed toward the path. "Back to the homestead, then? I think there's a bottle of vintage red in the cellar that's just calling for us to free it from the damn and dusty confines of the cellar."

River Song cracked at her back. "Sounds good to me." She looked back at the rooster and thumbed over her shoulder at it. "Did we decide on whether or not we were going to take the chicken?"

 


	33. Hungover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their successful batle with the Daleks, the three girls decided to celebrate by raiding the wine cellar and partake in a little Kasterborian wine. It's the morning afterward and we find the two Doctors and Rory left with the unenviable and unpleasant task of waking up Rose, River and Amy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Straight up fluff. Sorry. Needed something really light for a change. Important stuff after the fluffy stuff.

Three men stood warily in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room, sipping from mugs of tea, and staring at the mess in the room ahead of them. Neither of the trio dared to make a sound. None really wanted to enter the room. In fact, when entering became a necessity in order to retrieve something from an armchair by the window, it had come down to a coin toss to see which of them would be tasked with tip-toeing lightly across the floor to get it.

Eleven lost the toss, and he'd actually whimpered in defeat. Even a slap on the back of the head by Ten, and a stern warning that _Time Lords do not whimper_ , hadn't quelled the fear deep inside his gut. Eventually he'd been coaxed into performing an intricate dance on his toes to dodge any and all things that just might make a scrape, a squeak, a creak, a moan, and managed to retrieve the item. He panted in victory upon his return as he received congratulatory slaps on the shoulder from Ten and Rory.

After that, each of them had engaged themselves in mindless activities for the next two hours in hope to avoid the inevitable rise of the three women sprawled about the floor, the couch and the mat in front of the now extinguished fire.

The antique, solid wood coffee table gave them adequate intel as to how late, and just how messily, the girls entertained themselves the previous evening. There were four empty bottles of red wine and three long stemmed glasses stained with lipstick and lip gloss, and still with a sip of red swirling in the bottom of each. Minor evidence of spillage was on the table, on the floor, and on the shirts of the three girls.

Yep. This would take some rather brilliant Time Lord strategies to clean up before they took off. More brilliant would have to be the strategy to not get murdered by three members of the most deadly half of any species … Two of them Time Lord.

"We have to do it, you know," Ten finally muttered with his teeth nipping at the edge of his mug as he leaned against the doorframe.

Rory pursed his lips worriedly. "Can't we give them another, oh, I don't know, the rest of the week to sleep it off?"

Eleven agreed. "We have two TARDIS machines outside. We can always take a day trip to the other end of the Universe to ensure that we're not going to be anywhere near here when they finally do wake up."

Ten rubbed at his brow. He winced. "Tempting. So very tempting." He let his hand shift from his brows to cover his mouth, and looked painfully toward the living room. "But. Oh Hell. We're Time Lords, the Oncoming Storms and bringers of destruction against all enemies. Full armies panic at the mere mention of the word _Doctor._ Surely we can deal with three women with hangovers."

"You're talking a red-wine strength hangover, Doctor." Rory shook his head backed up into the kitchen with a smirk. "I'm no Time Lord, gentlemen. So go right ahead with your oncoming storm bit and wake the monsters from the ninth pit of Hell." He thumbed to the kitchen table. "I'll just go write your obituaries."

Eleven snatched at his collar. "You're the last of the Centurians, Rory. You should be valiant and fearless alongside us."

"You've met all three of them, yeah?"

Ten squared his shoulders and put his mug on the mantle beside the door. "I'm going in."

"Wait," Eleven hissed in warning. "What's your strategy? You're not going in there without a plan."

Ten looked slightly put out by that. "Well. I was going to clap my hands and yell at them all to get up because nap time was over like I normally do when Rose sleeps in."

"That's how you wake her, man?" Rory wore a frown. "You mean you don't gently rouse her with a kiss or a soft shake?"

"Only if I'm still in bed with her at that moment and am feeling frisky," he admitted with a wink and a cheeky click through the side of his mouth. He then shrugged. "Typically I'm up first, and have showered and dressed before she's up. I'm a living alarm clock." He wriggled a little with a roll of his eyes. "And more often than not I get something thrown at me and told to shut up and give her another ten minutes. It took me three weeks of being pelted by dangerously weaponized bedroom accessories to take care to make sure that only soft and fluffy things were within her reach before trying to wake her."

Eleven grinned. "Oh those were the days, weren’t they? Scaring her witless by bounding into her room on the TARDIS because we'd landed somewhere exciting."

"Or still in the Vortex and just wanting to scare her witless because we were bored out of our head and wanted something to do."

Both of them snorted in laughter.

Rory opened his arms in challenge and bowed lightly to the Tenth Doctor. "Then regale us with your alarm clock brilliance, oh Lord of Time. Wake our wine-stained women. Your brother and I will be up in the Vortex waiting for the mushroom cloud to dissipate." He held out his hand. "It was a pleasure to meet you. I'll be sure to tell your mother that it was an honourable death."

Ten grinned cheekily as he took Rory's hand and gave it a firm shake. He kept hold of his hand and then hauled him into the living room and let him stumble into the back of the couch. The resulting shake of the couch and his loud grunt of surprise immediately had three sets of eyes flash open, and at least one gun pointed in his direction. The gun quickly fell and jumped across the ground as its holder opted to clutch at her head instead. “Oh hell.”

Amy's hand shot up to grab him by the collar of his shirt. She snapped him down over the back of the couch and snarled unpleasant, wine stained morning breath into his face. "I'm going to kill you," she snarled. "Slow and painful."

"But. Amy. Love," he spluttered. "It wasn't my fault."

"Oh I know whose fault this is," Rose growled from the floor between the coffee table and the armchair. She hadn't dared to move a muscle. "I can hear you smiling over there, Doctor," she snarled. "You put him up to this, didn't you?"

Ten arched his back in a stretch and let a grin spread across his face. "Right. Now that everyone's awake. Time to get up and at 'em. Got places to see, things to do."

"Kill me," a female voice moaned from somewhere in the living room. The owner of the voice wasn't immediately identifiable.

"Oh, there will be no killing of anyone or anything in here today," Ten advised with a chirp in his tone. "But there will be waking up, discussion, and TARDIS travel. So up! Come on you lot. Allons-y"

"River," Rose begged painfully. "Please throw something at him. I beg of you."

"I'm too scared to move," River whimpered. "My head is about to go supernova."

"Oh you bunch of lightweights," Ten charged. "Two of you are Time Lord, you should be better equipped to…" He was thrown back by two large seat cushions, tossed from two different trajectory points, direct into his face. "Now that’s just rude."

Eleven shook his head as he walked into the room armed with three bottles of water and clicked his tongue at the other two men. "So classless, aren't they, ladies? I was vehemently against disturbing you, but my brother, he was most insistent."

Amy snatched one of the bottles from Eleven and pointed a glare and a finger at him. "I don't believe you for a second."

"I wouldn't lie to you," he assured.

Rose's hand, a finger raised, jutted up over the coffee table, the rest of her body still hidden. "Rule number one is what, ladies."

"The Doctor lies," they answered with matching winces and groans.

"Precisely," Rose muttered as she slowly hauled herself up to a seat. She slouched against the foot of the arm chair and let out a rather undignified and definitely unladylike belch.

"So full of class and grace, aren't you, Rose?" Ten dropped his face close to hers, analyzing her focus for a moment, and then flopped down onto the chair behind her. His legs sat either side of her shoulders and he stooped to hook his arms underneath hers. With ease, he pulled her up to sit in the space between his legs. He set his chin on her shoulder and let his arms circle around her waist. "So, girls. About today's adventure…"

Rose winced as she pressed her finger to her mouth and let a _shhhhh_ sound hiss through her lips. "No talking. Snuggle good. Talk bad."

"Talk very bad," River agreed as she crawled toward the coffee table and set her forehead against the cool glass top. "Living is not so good right now, either."

"I'm afraid that talking is very necessary," Eleven said with a smirk as he flopped down heavily onto the couch, making Amy jump and then hold at her mouth as though ready to vomit. "Bathroom is thattaway," he advised with a fast point of his hand. "Don't miss this time, okay?"

" _This_ time?"

He gave an apologetic look toward her. "Partially my fault. I got the hold of your hair wrong."

"How do you hold hair wrong," she asked with unabashed incredulity. She shot a look to Rory. "Any why him and not _you_?"

"I was filming the epic twenty minute declaration of love from Rose to Pinstripes here and didn't see you take off." He flicked his hand to Eleven. "He was on it, though. Knight in a Fez."

"Oh," Rose said with a slouch and apologetic look toward Ten. "I did that _again_? I'm so sorry. I'm off wine forever. Never again. Ever."

"Don't be sorry," he chuckled. "Your metaphors were quite creative this time around. The sloppy kisses, though," he waggled his hand in the air and screwed up one side of his face. "So-so. Need to work on that."

Rose palmed her face and moaned.

River rolled her head so that her chin was on the table. She battled for clear focus and blinked a couple of times to get it. "So. You guys poked the beasts for a reason. What's on today's agenda?"

"We're all taking a trip," Eleven announced as he rolled a bottle of water along the table toward River. "And the sooner the better as we lads are starting to get a little too comfortable here and just might not want to move anywhere if we hang about for much longer." He leaned back into the couch and spread his arm along the back. His hand toyed with Amy's hair as he continued. "We've been presented with a rather unpleasant task, and therefore my brother and I would prefer to get to it sooner than later."

River Song folded her arms in a square on the table and gingerly rested her head on them. "What _task_ ; and where are we headed?"

"Gallifrey," Ten answered immediately. "There's something that we have been asked to do on Gallifrey. We're set to materialize in the great hall of Lungbarrow, and from there will work on putting all of the pieces together to get it done." He felt Rose stiffen in his hold. His voice quietened as he took himself from the conversation. "Hey, you okay?"

Amy's face brightened immediately. "We're actually going to go to Gallifrey? Seriously?"

"Lungbarrow," River said with a slight swoon. "The family home of the Doctor. It's kind of like bringing me home to meet your mum and dad."

Eleven shrugged. "Yeah. Something like that, and if all goes well to plan, you'll get the chance to meet them both." He scratched at his hair. "Don't know that you'd be too thrilled by meeting my father," he admitted. "He's slightly above hardass task master. He's a genius, for sure. Brilliant even…"

"So nothing like you then," Amy muttered with a teasing smirk. "Are you more like your mum?"

"She's worse," Eleven offered. "We're all bloody terrified of her, which is why we're going to make a detour to Gallifrey before these two head back to their parallel and we get back on our path." He looked to Ten and was surprised to see that he and Rose had shifted from the seat and were in the middle of a deep conversation at the window. "Everything good over there, Doctor?"

Ten didn't look at him, but nodded and waved a hand to him in respectful acknowledgement that he'd heard him.

"So anyway," he continued as he dropped his gaze back to Amy and River. "Before my brother left the parallel world, with no intention other than spending a couple of hours in the Vortex to let Rose recover, our mother tasked him with finding our Father."

"Your father is missing," Amy said with a gasp.

"Incarcerated," River corrected with a narrowing of her eyes. "For cavorting with Aliens if my studies are correct." The Doctor's eyes flared only slightly, which could have said that he was surprised or that she was right – or both – and so she continued. "There is no mention of his name or actual charge at all in any of the official records and journals. But there is mention along the lesser circles of the man who was known as the father of the Doctor being held in a special containment facility on the charge of playing about with Aliens."

"That _Alien_ would be my mother," Eleven said with a sniff. "She wasn't born on Gallifrey, or even to Gallifreyan parents, but she was able to infiltrate the houses of the Lords, attend the Academy, achieve a bonded marriage with a Time Lord, and end up on council." He looked to his brother, who had finished his conversation with Rose, and now stood at her side with his arm held protectively across her shoulder. "Rumours swilled from a soothsayer at council that my father had fathered children to a non-Time Lord entity."

"And you must understand," Ten added. "That during that time the Time Lord society expressly forbid interfering with, or _hooking up_ – for lack of a better term – with aliens. Even relations between Time Lord and Gallifreyan civilians was frowned upon."

Eleven pressed his lips together to nod an expression of disgust. "My father was well aware that our Mother wasn't Gallifreyan. It was never a secret between them."

"The kids, by the way, were us and our brother. Well," Ten amended with a frown. "Him and our brother, actually. I'm not exactly part of that equation, am I?" He shrugged and shook his head. "So when our father, who is an honest man, was accused of fathering children to an alien, he didn't exactly deny it."

"But he didn't reveal the identity of the Alien, either," Eleven finished. "Rassilon and the council demanded that he reveal the name of the mother of his bastard children, because they were of Time Lord blood. When he didn't, they took everything from him: his name, his identity, his home, wife, children. He ceased to exist."

"With no records that he ever existed, there could be no claims made to the houses of the Lords by this alien looking to benefit from having Time Lord children." Ten gave a rueful smile. "Our father's love for our mother is such that he would rather spend centuries locked in a dark prison with no face and no name, than have her put in the hands of Time Lord Council as the alien who corrupted him."

"That's so tragic,' Amy breathed as she clutched onto her husband. "So sad."

River was just confused. "But that doesn't make any sense, Sweetie. How can the Council believe that he fathered any children, when all of Gallifrey is sterile? There has not been a wombed child born on Gallifrey for thousands of years."

Ten took to answering this question. "The sterility of the Gallifreyan race is only limited to conception between Gallifreyan couples. It's not that the womb is barren or that the men of Gallifrey are shooting blanks. It's simply that conception within the womb on Gallifrey is impossible."

"So what you're saying is…"

"For example. If Rose was still human," he clarified. "I could very easily have children with her. Lots of children. A horde of cute little Time Lord/Human babies toddling around with blonde hair and beautiful hazel eyes. Brilliant and beautiful, just like their mother." He looked down at her with a faltering smile of sadness. "But. Now that we’re both Time Lords, however, the only way we could have a child together would be through the loom at Lungbarrow." He lifted his hand to her face and tenderly hooked her hair behind her ear as he pressed his lips to the side of her mouth. "Which is now an option for us, Rose. When you’re ready. If you want."

"Would you _want_?"

"Yeah. I do. I want."

Rose hooked her arm up over his shoulder, around his neck, and drew him in for a long and languid kiss.

River shifted her focus to Eleven in light of Ten's sudden and very worthy distraction. "It shouldn't even be possible for you to reproduce with a different species," she countered with a tight brow. "Or at the very least, offspring that could possibly reproduce."

Eleven shook his head. "Not impossible, and it has happened. My granddaughter Susan had children with her human husband with no conception difficulties at all."

Amy was slightly stunned at that. "You're a great grand dad?"

"I was, yes."

She pursed her lips maintaining her expression of surprise. "I would never have guessed. You look good for a wrinkly old great grand pop."

"Looking good in my old age, aren't I?" He leaned his elbows on his knees. "Back to it, though. With our father not listed in any way that we can possibly find him, even with the TARDIS at our disposal, we need to get to the one place there may be answers."

River Song seemed to have lost her hangover as her attention sharpened. "Where? Arcadia?"

Eleven shook his head. His eyes were wide with concern. "No. And if it was, I wouldn't send you there under any circumstances. Only Pinstripes and I would set foot in that place."

"But we could get in undetected," she offered. "By we I mean Rose and I, of course."

"With the Time Lord elite? Men and women who have not only trained at the Academy, but also taught there?" He leaned forward to address her sternly, but without condescension. "You're talking about telepathic masters who would seed you out the minute you stepped into the main citadel. You and Rose are Time Lords, yes, and you would move about completely undetected in, say, an Academy setting. But not with the Full Council."

"Your mum did it," she argued.

"After training for almost a century at the Academy under the guidance of the Prydonian Telepathic masters." He huffed. "Don't argue with me on this, River. I won't back down."

"They're swift to order execution," Ten added, his affections with Rose momentarily postponed. "I know, I had to get creative to stave off my own execution."

Eleven winced. "And what we had to go through to prove our innocence, Brother. Did you ever think that letting them kill us however many times it would take to actually kill us was a fairly viable option?"

Ten's face screwed up in recollection on the President's Assassination. "At the time, I briefly considered letting them go through with it. Still. All's well that ended well. It was Hell crawling about in the matrix, but we got to the root of the problem at the end of the day." He scratched at his sideburn. "And became President for a bit."

"President Doctor," River managed with a laugh. "I'd love to see you – both of you – in your Prydonian robes. That'd be a lark."

"Yeah. No ta," Ten muttered as he shoved a hand in his trouser pocket.

"You really are no fun at all," she breezed. "So. Where is it that we can get this information for your Dad?"

"That's the fun bit," Ten said with a broad smile. "You and Rose. You're going to our Alma Mater. We've enrolled you in the Mount Cadon Campus." His brow rose high at the differing expressions between the girls. River seemed absolutely thrilled at the prospect, Rose looked positively mortified. "You start, well, 2 hours ago, but that's not such a big deal considering we have two very capable time machines parked out front that could skip us back to the right time."

"And just how do you expect that we're going to get any information on Council business from a school," Rose asked darkly, her disgust at being sent to school blatantly obvious to all.

"Not happy about the prospect of returning to school, Rose?" Eleven was surprised. Rose was incredibly bright, and the hunger she had for learning that he saw as he went back into her timeline to assist her with her highschool homework made him think that she would relish this opportunity.

"I hated school," she admitted with a curl in her lip. "Full of hate and bullies and mean mean people." She levered a finger in his direction. "And don't you set about trying to convince me that Time Lord Schools are any different. They're just all a hell of a lot smarter than an Earth kid, which means their bullying tactics will be far more superior than when I went to school."

"I'm not going to try any arguments of the sort," Eleven fired back smoothly. "Those cadets can be something else. Trust me. I know that very well."

"Don't forget that I'm not exactly telepathic, nor am I Time Lord clever like River is."

"Don't doubt yourself. You're brilliant." Ten pulled her against his side. He jutted his chin to River Song. "You're going to have River with you. And you're also going to have two fiercely protective Time Lords and two TARDIS machines monitoring your every move and talking you through all of it."

"And we promise you," Eleven vowed. "If they look to make any trouble and push around either of you, we'll be there in a TARDIS second."

Ten grinned wide. "Come on. You ladies were able to take on a Dalek scout team yesterday. You bypassed their signal feed, disabled all of their weaponry and were able to send a feedback code to my sonic so that we could blast them back to Skaro. On top of that you added a level of finesse that no Time Lord cadet could ever hope to achieve." He winked. "You're going to give these Gallifrey boys a run for their money."

Eleven agreed. "You have with us. Why not let us share that wealth across Gallifrey?"

"True," Rose said with a light bob of her head.

"So just what purpose does Rose and I heading to school actually serve," River queried after a long draw on her water bottle. She had to speak over the back of her hand as she wiped at her mouth. "Aside from torturing the two of us with Time Brats?"

Ten rubbed at the back of his neck. "Dad's entire existence was wiped at Council level, and that took more than a quarter century to be fully effected." He tugged at his ear, then stuffed his hand into his pocket. "Bow tie and I were thinking that this means the only information that we could possibly attain would be through the archives at the school. The Library. The Dean's office. You know, where things get stored and forgotten about?"

Eleven rubbed his hands on his knees before he drew himself to a stand. "There was a biographical author who followed the proceedings of the trial and the court decisions. He disappeared without a trace less than a decade after the final council meeting on the subject. Rumour is that he was a professor at Cadon, and that his texts are probably still there."

River Song nodded her head as she considered things. "Due to the fact I'm familiar with the case, it does lend credence to the existence of these texts. I'm sure that I'd know what to look for once we get in there."

Rose poked at Ten's belly. "There is one thing that we need to take into serious consideration about this."

"Mmm?" he hummed with a giggle at the tickle. "What's that?"

"I don't speak or read Gallifreyan. No dialects. None. Nada. And River can only scrape by as a tourist." She looked over her shoulder at the TARDIS. "And those girls refuse to translate that language for us."

"She has a point, Doctor."

"We're giving TARDIS permission to translate for you," Eleven announced. "Only for this reason. Understood? Not any longer than that. I want to have my private moments, you know, where I can say something under my breath from time to time without anyone knowing what I'm saying." He circled his finger at Rose. "And there will be no swears translated for you so that you can add to your collection of languages that you can swear in. Yes. I know about that."

Rose pumped open and closed her hand three times toward Amy. "Fifteen different Alien languages, Amy. Fifteen!"

"Eighteen," she chuffed smugly in response. "Got you beat."

"Twenty Seven," River song chirped victoriously. "And seventeen Earth languages."

"Oh," Rose chuckled. "I'm very impressed. Shall we compare notes?"

Eleven gave them all an incredulous look. His gaze narrowed as he pointed between he and his brother. "Five Billion. Both of us."

"Yeah, but you don't share the glory, so you don't count," Amy charged with an arrogant tilt in her shoulder. "Whereas we will gladly share all of our new teachings so that they may be enjoyed amongst the masses."

Eleven blinked. "Oh-kay." He shook his head in wonder and then clapped his hands. "So. How about it. Everyone go get cleaned up, we can clean up this mess, and then off to Gallifrey?" He watched the girls slowly get up to make moves toward their respective bathrooms and called his brother across. He dipped his voice low and kept his eyes on Rose as she lumbered toward the door.

"Is everything okay?"

Ten nodded as he scratched his sideburn then slid his hand to hold at the back of his neck. "Yeah. Aside from being hungover, she's fine. Why?"

"Couldn't help but notice the two of you step aside for a bit."

"Oh," Ten hummed. "No. Nothing to worry yourself over. When I said Gallifrey, she was thinking we were going for another reason."

"Which would be?"

Ten smirked and gave a wink. "Spoilers, apparently. I'm not allowed to say." He let the smile fall. "Do me a favour. Double check our landing date. Make sure she's not going to encounter someone like Borusa or Rassilon. After her run in a couple of days ago, I'm not sure how she'd go if she bumped into either one of them."

"No chance of either, but I can confirm." He coughed as Ten made to leave, and pointed at the mess from the girl's evening. "Where do you think you're going? You have to help with this mess."

"Rose is feeling a little out of sorts," he said with a shrug and a smile. "I figured I'd go take her for a shower in the TARDIS and see if I can help make her feel better."

"No. You're not shirking your part of clean up duty with the excuse of shagging in the TARDIS," Eleven warned with a growl. "Get back here."

Ten gave an Oscar wining dramatic eye roll, slouched backward and moaned, but joined Eleven with the clean up. "I'm getting a rather heavy feeling that this isn't going to go quite as smoothly as we expect it to."

"Since when does anything we do go smooth?"

"Yeah, good point. But just once, you know, once would be nice. Especially if we're not the ones storming in the place."

Eleven laughed. "Be careful what you wish for, Brother. We might end up doing just that."

 


	34. Lungbarrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctors and their companions materialize in the Great Hall of Lungbarrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In here are a couple of small references from half a chapter of the novel "Lungbarrow" by Marc Platt. But really, only a teenie tiny bit is close to that story ... I've really just gone ahead and done my own thing with it, and with the Doctor's family/history/motivations. But I am knicking a couple of character's names as we play on Gallifrey ... but only a couple.
> 
> This adventure begins some abrupt rewriting from my original, and will likely have a couple of new chapters added. It might not necessarily change what happens after Gallifrey, but I intend the Academy to have a little more fun and adventure than I did originally.

If the Doctor was to describe the House of Lungbarrow to any of the companions that have chosen to join him in the console room of the TARDIS as they traveled through the Vortex toward their destination, it would be simple. Three words simple, actually: Ancient and terrible.

Oh, sure, he did have fond memories of the place from when he was but a wee loomling. His mother with her long red hair tied back with a golden ribbon, lightly stroking his hair as he rested his head against her bosom and they read together. His father, strong and proud, hoisting him up into the air to show him the stars and constellations that shone bright in a dark amber night sky. He held fond memories of both of his parents. He saw them deeply in love, affectionate and doting on their two precious children. Then there was his tutoring at the hands of a sentient robot instructor, who really couldn't seem to keep him wholly focused at all times, and was consistently tasked with the job of informing his parents and the housekeeper that the young Doctor had escaped yet again.

Oh how many times he escaped through the windows of the old house. His pathway to escape was used with such frequency that he had smoothed a long slide along the white trunk exterior of the home. He was many times thankful for the sentient nature of the Lungbarrow home, and her care in ensuring that no matter which window he found himself climbing out to freedom, his smooth and weathered slide would always be right there and waiting for him. On the occasion that he had his nose in a book as he wandered the hallways, he would hear the creak of chairs moving across the wood and out of his way. Lungbarrow kept him safe as a young child. He received no boo boo's when he was there, not if she could help it, anyway.

The house herself was so like his TARDIS, but without the occasional bitchy moods.

It was impossible that the considerate nature of his home was due to their house keeper. Satthralope didn’t have the gentle and kind spirit that the stunning arborescent house expressed to all of her residents. Perhaps it was his Mother’s glorious temperament that the home had eagerly absorbed and then shared.   But no. that wasn’t how it worked. The house and housekeeper were wedded to each other to be of one mind.

Maybe Satthralope had been kind and gentle in her earlier incarnations?

One thing that the Doctor was very sure about was that the kind nature of the home certainly wasn't from any of the Cousins loomed at Lungbarrow. That part of his family he could definitely have done without. They were ultimately the driving force behind his decision to leave Gallifrey. From the moment he escaped the loom, after an untold age of waiting inside time to emerge naked and vulnerable in the presence of his cousins, he felt hurt that he would never ease. At the moment of his birth the housekeeper had been so disgusted by him to have slapped him hard enough that he could barely walk from the loom. The laughter. The taunts. If it was written that his first sight after birth, the first thing that loomed into view, would be the one thing that would govern his life – then what was expected of him? It was forty-four Cousins staring down at him from all sides, laughing and sniggering and prodding? They hated him from the start. All of them. All except Quences … and even he, in time, grew to detest the young Doctor.

_Snail. Wormhole._

Vicious taunts and names; all because he had a slight physical difference to them: A Navel. A tiny little pit in his lower belly. It was a slight imperfection that his mother assured him was something that made him special.

He should have known, even at such a young age, that this imperfection was due to his mother not being born of Gallifreyan stock. He knew she was Alien. His parents never did shield that from him. They told him of his mixed heritage, and that it was something to treasure. A mix within him, a delightful joining of two powerful and wonderful consciousness and beings.

 _Tolerance, love and understanding to all._ His mother had cooed gently against his ear. _Never be cowardly or cruel toward those that you don't yet understand. Cherish their differences and learn, my Son. You will be the stronger for it._

Her actual heritage _was_ a secret, but he wasn't blind. There was only one planet from which she could have been born and raised. The one planet that always felt like home to him.

His father always spoke of his travels and his adventures throughout all of space and time on his own TARDIS. He would regale the young Doctor with stories of battles and wars, of peaceful moments and exciting runs through alien lands. His favourite stories, however, always involved his father and his beautiful companion Marissa. A woman so majestic and brilliant that he had fallen in love the very first moment they'd met on a little green planet way off across the endless eons of space. Once his hand found hers, he never wanted to let go.

 _Run, my Son._ His father had ordered with desperate urgency as the Council removed him from his family home. _Run. Don't bind yourself to being a Time Lord stuck here on Gallifrey only to catalogue the adventures and texts of everyone else. Run. Find your own adventure. Live. Find your own beloved and never look back._

It was with those words that the Doctor found the courage to finally drive himself from Gallifrey in search of his own life of adventure. As his family was destroyed by the removal of his childhood hero, the Doctor, now an aging man ready for his first regeneration, became disenchanted by the strict rules of being a Gallifrey-bound Time Lord. He experienced marital and parental love, but felt the emptiness of never actually having been in love; a wonder so perfectly shown between his parents. He no longer wanted to be held to a position that gave him little satisfaction, and so he stole a TARDIS to embark upon the same life as his father; to experience the same thrilling adventure of life.

And he found everything that his father had wanted for him to find. All of it wrapped up in a neat little pink and yellow package that was currently dancing distractedly along to the pop song of the moment with River Song and Amy. Both of the companions of Eleven had asked to fly inside his TARDIS for the trip to Gallifrey with the excuse of wanting to travel in the newest model TARDIS – to Eleven's pained chagrin, of course. He had agreed if only at the behest of Rose. Love her, she enjoyed their company as much as they appeared to enjoy hers. He loved the way that she seemed to shine in their presence.

Oh, but she would shine in the company of anyone and anything. Even the blackest curtain of night wouldn't be able to shadow her light. Much like the unwavering glittering lights of the chemiluminescence blooms that littered the forest floor at the base of Mount Lung to guide a weary Time Lord home on a lonely dark night, there would be no extinguishing the incredible light within her.

His thoughts let his eyes trail toward her and he had to smile. Rose's hair was still wet and wavy from her shower and she had a toothbrush hanging out of her mouth. The only makeup she wore was a thin line of eyeliner and a light coat of mascara. So natural. So striking. So incredibly beautiful to him. How in Rassilon did he get to be so lucky to have found her?

A chime from the navigation computer warned him that they were exiting the vortex and would soon arrive at their destination. He looked to the girls through the central column of the console. "Are you ladies ready," he asked with a toothy grin as his hand hovered over the materialization lever.

"Are we on track to beat them there," Amy queried from around a monitor with her own smile firmly in place. "Because I have a decent bet with the Doctor that says we'd be there first."

"Time Lords don't _compete_ with their TARDIS machines," he admonished with a snort. "They are delicate and complicated machines that are not designed for racing." He rolled his eyes. "Humans, _really_."

"That means they're going to land first, right?" River Song said with a sigh. "Brand new TARDIS. Pfft. I thought she'd have a leg up on the old rattler."

A Northern accent chipped in sharply. "If you wouldn't mind, Ms. Song, please toggle the lever to your right, and I will make sure that our materialization occurs before the other TARDIS."

The Doctor grunted in annoyance. " _Really_ , TARDIS? You're going to let them pressure you into racing against the other machine?"

"You need to test out my limits, Doctor," he smoothed back with a definite smile in his voice. "Up against my sister is the best way to do so, wouldn't you think?"

"I agree," River Song said with a cheer as she flipped the lever and the ship jolted with the extra speed. She leaned sideways toward the Doctor. "Your TARDIS talks to you?"

"Yes," he said with a rub of his brow and an accusing look toward Rose. "Seems my lovely wife thought it would be a great idea to have a sentient machine that not only talks to us, but will also appear from time to time to scare the absolute bejesus out of me." He cleared his throat. "And in the image of my ninth form, of course." He shrugged. "Because I'm not insecure in anyway at all."

"So. Okay. Your TARDIS sounds like a dude, and apparently looks like a dude, and you call it a girl?" Amy queried with a smirk. "Oh. Doctor. The implications." She looked at Rose. "Does he call it _Sexy_ and lovingly stroke parts of it, too?"

"Don't,Rose," he whined with a wince. "Please don't."

"I think I will," she threatened with a guffaw as she . "Especially if we don't get to Gallifrey before the other TARDIS."

"Again," he warned almost tiredly as he pointed his hand at the time rotor. "Not a racing machine. And I do not refer to this machine as _sexy_ , nor do I stroke parts of it."

Behind him, Rose nodded a teasing _oh yeah, he does_ smile.

"I saw that," he snapped. "Keep it up, and I'll reprogram the interface to be a really buxom near naked woman and really set about stroking and purring…" No sooner had it left his mouth the Doctor immediately wished he could take it back. Judging by the wide eyes, puffed cheeks, and reddening faces of three women truly holding back from explosive laughter, no amount of backpedalling was going to save his face. He merely dropped his forehead into his palm and groaned. "You girls are messing with my brain. Trust me when I say that it actually did sound better in my head."

"How?" River Song burst out. "There is no way that could _ever_ sound good."

"I know." He quickly threaded by her to punch at a button on the other side of the console. "And look at that. We've landed." He grinned as he jogged to the doorway and pulled it back to peer outside. "Kasterborous. Gallifrey. Lungbarrow. Great Hall. Early morning." He cupped his hand to his ear as the sound of the second TARDIS engine filled the expansive room. "And we got here before the dastardly duo. Amy, you'd better collect on your bet before he tries one of those _double or nothing_ back-outs."

Amy weaved by him to step into the hall. "I'm just short of squealing with delight that we're actually _here_ ," she breathed as she stepped onto the white wood flooring. She immediately walked a twisting series of circles as she strode forward. "My God. This is beautiful."

River Song shot out next. She paused for only a moment to look up in awe at the twisting, trunk-like texture of the walls that branched a weaving pattern to form the ceiling. "Wow," she breathed. "I thought the Summer home was lovely. This." She held her hand to her chest. "This is so much more stunning."

"Yeah," the Doctor choked in a voice holding a mountain of pain.

Rose opened the door beside where her Doctor stood and gave him a look of concern that he had yet to step foot over the threshold of the TARDIS. "Are you okay?"

His arm Snaked out to claw at the waistband of her pants. His fingers found hold and he tugged her to his side. As she stumbled against him, he let his arm slide across her shoulder and pressed his lips to her hair. "Would you think less of me if I told you that this place terrifies me," he admitted quietly.

“Are you suggesting that we’re in danger,” she ventured quietly. “Because a warning about that might’ve been nice.”

He shook his head. “Not unsafe, Rose.” He sighed softly and looked warily across the room. “Just bad memories, that’s all.”

“Oh, Doctor. I’m sorry.” Rose slid her arms around his waist and looked to the other TARDIS, noting with despair that the Eleventh Doctor held much the same fear of stepping into the room as her own Doctor. She held out her hand to him and wriggled her fingers in invitation. "Come here, you. Come join the snuggle."

"I'm fine," he croaked.

"No you're not." She flicked her fingers again. "Come on. I give good snuggles."

"I know you do, Rose. But, I'm perfectly fine for now, thanks." He looked to Ten. "The time coordinates, when did you drop us here?"

"Don’t worry. This place is deserted," he assured quickly. "Solstice Retreat for Council. The whole house is at Arcadia for at least three days."

"So not a single cousin is here?"

"Nope." He gave a solid pop of the P.

Eleven raised his eyes to the ceiling. "Thank Rassilon for small mercies."

Ten cleared his throat and scratched at his hair. "Right. So let's not waste any time. The sooner we can get what we came for, the sooner we can leave this place." He leapt across the space between the two TARDIS machines as though the floor outside was hot lava, and slapped a manly slap against Eleven's shoulder. "Let's get some set up done."

"Yeah," Eleven muttered as he stepped back into the TARDIS behind his brother.

Rose and Rory looked at the now empty doorway with high brows of confusion. Rory voiced the thought on both minds. "Is it just me, or do the both of them look almost _scared_ to be here?"

Rose shook her head with a shrug. "I thought they'd be thrilled to be back home."

Rory let his brow crease in concern. "I don't like that they seem to be so uncomfortable, Rose."

"I know," she agreed softly. "When they're not at ease, things tend to go sideways." She rubbed at his arm. "Maybe he just doesn't get along with the family. I know that Christmas at the old Tyler house could get heated when Nanna and Pop were still alive and we all had to get together."

"Yeah. True."

"I can try to talk to the Doctor a little later and see what I can get out of him." She shrugged an apologetic shoulder. "But you know the Doctor, if he doesn't want to talk about it, he won't."

"I'd appreciate it if you’d at least try." He swallowed and looked to River and Amy. "They're my life, Rose. My whole life. I want them safe."

"The Doctor does as well. Remember that."

There was a whir of softly spinning gears and rubber wheels on wooden flooring behind them, and both Rory and Rose turned to investigate. Their eyes were wide, but they were hardly surprised to see a creature that was obviously an android but had taken pains to humanize itself.

Rose smiled as she moved around it, analyzing its shape and structure. "Now _this_ ," she breathed in awe. " _This_ is very impressive."

"And, I hope, friendly," River said curiously as she took a walk around the android. "Cute, aren’t you?"

Rose looked with a smile into its glassy eyes. "Hello. Are you friendly; or are you going to go all blue eye on me and yell _Exterminate_?"

The android seemed to be tightly focused on Rose as it rolled toward her. "You have regenerated, my mistress."

Rose coughed with a wide open smile. "Oh. That's very clever of you to notice. How'd you know that?" She shifted the seat of her head toward the TARDIS doors, but kept her eyes on the android. She called lightly to the Doctor. "Doctor. You have to come see this."

"I’ll be right out," Ten called out. "Just stay in the main hall and don't wander off."

"That goes for you too, Amy," Eleven warned from within the TARDIS. "Stay put."

The Android kept its focus on Rose. "Will I arrange transport for you to join the cousins at Arcadia, Mistress Marissa, or do you intend on retiring to your room?"

"Oh," she sang. "You've got me mixed up with someone else little Robot." She petted it on the head. "Marissa isn’t here right now. But carry on."

"I don't understand," it answered along a monotone voice. "Why does Mistress mock me?"

Ten finally stepped out of the TARDIS. His focus was tight on two pairs of black horn-rimmed glasses and he only noticed the presence of the android ten inches before he collided with it. His face immediately broke out into a wide grin. "Well look at you," he practically cheered as he dropped into a crouch and gave the machine a once-over. "I didn't expect to see you here, you old tin can. You've got to be, _well_ , at least eight hundred and ninety years old now." He looked up at the TARDIS. "Hey Bowtie. Get out here and look at this. Gaeford is still roaming Lungbarrow's halls."

"Really?" Eleven asked as he stepped out of the TARDIS carrying two monitors. His face brightened to see the android. "Well look at that."

"Okay," Rose hazarded. "What is it?"

"Oh," Ten answered as he stood up and blew a mouthful of air through his lips. He rubbed at the back of his head. "This old thing was one of my first projects before I went into the Academy. My tutor didn't believe that I was properly focusing on my studies on the provenance of Gallifreyan culture because I was always scratching, drawing, running off. As a challenge, he tasked me with creating a servant android while we were studying just to keep my hands occupied. Gaeford here was the result." He grinned. "And if I do say so, he's pretty impressive."

Amy frowned in thought and tilted her head curiously. "And you were _how old_ when you entered the Academy?"

"Eight."

"And you made this thing before you were eight years old?"

"You seem surprised," Eleven noted. "It shouldn't really be so surprising, considering what you see me put together on a weekly basis."

"Yeah," she breathed as she pulled her hair back from her face and held it in a tail behind her head. "But what you usually put together is a little on the cruder side."

He swept his arm through the air around them. "The House of Lungbarrow, where any and all necessary items are available at any time." He then pointed to the TARDIS. "My TARDIS, where I have to make do with whatever odds and ends are available." He shrugged. "They may be crudely assembled, but they work as well as the streamlined versions."

"I'm not saying that they don't, Doctor." She smiled an innocent smile. "I think you're very brilliant and very handy." Her eyes widened and she nudged him with her elbow. "And it looks like your robot has developed a crush – like maker like robot, yeah?"

The android continued to follow Rose around as she skipped from side to side and walked around the Doctors. "It's shadowing me, Doctor. Why?"

"That's a good question," Ten remarked with a rub at his jaw. "I designed this for my mother to help her out a bit and to generally assist her on her day to day bits and bobs." He tapped at its head. "It is close to millennia in age," he mused. "Probably a couple of circuits on it are malfunctioning."

"Well," Amy teased. "I guess they just don't make things like they used to, yeah?"

"Oh hardie har har."

"It called me Marissa," Rose said with a rub at her own jaw. "How is it mistakening me for her? Did she look like me once?"

"Not that I know of," Eleven mused quietly.

Ten gave a slight thoughtful moan and slid the tip of his tongue into the roof of his mouth as he analyzed the android. “He could be picking up on her telepathic signature through you, Rose. You were given your consciousness from her, after all. It makes perfect sense that you would emit her signature until yours finally asserts itself.”

"I see," Rose noted. “And how long would that take.”

He straightened up and slid his hands into his trouser pockets as he kept his eyes on it. Finally he inhaled deeply and shook his head. His voice held his typical lightness. “Don’t really know. I’ve never seen a Human turned Time Goddess turned Time Lord before.” He grinned. “Could be a day, a month, a year … The rest of your existence.”

“Well isn’t that just terrific.” Rose gave a startled peep as the android took a roll too close to her and skipped backward to escape. “Did you forget to give it _personal space_ protocols, Doctor?”

"I'll take a look at it, later," Ten suggested with a chuckle. "I'll give him a bit of an upgrade." He inhaled another deep breath and looked upward to the team. "So. Are we ready to send you girls to the Academy?"

"Can I call in sick," Rose queried.

"Not on your first day," he replied with a shake of his head. "Oh come on, Rose. You'll have fun. I promise."

River threaded her arm through Rose's. "We're going to have a blast," she said with a chuckle. "I'm looking forward to it." Her eyes looked up to the Doctors. "What time are we here?"

"About fifty years before the start of the Time War," Eleven answered. "It was the lull before the storm. Nothing of note to take our attentions away from we came here to do."

"Promise?"

"We both promise," Eleven vowed. "We took care in choosing the best date for landing."

"And besides," Ten assured as he thumbed back to the two TARDIS machines. "Those girls wouldn't let us fly in to trouble."

All four of the companions let out laughs at that.

"Okay, not into trouble on _Gallifrey_ ," he amended. "Now come on. Go get dressed into your Academy robes. Bowtie and I will set you up with transport and get ourselves together here."

"Transport," River asked with disappointment. "You mean we can't take one of the girls with us?" She thumbed back to the bluest of the TARDIS machines.

"No," both Doctors answered simultaneously.

"Aww," she whined with a stomp of her foot. "But I bet all the other parents let their Time brats take their TARDIS to school."

Ten opened his mouth and lifted a finger with full intent to argue. Eleven stopped him with a shake of his head as he pushed Ten's hand down. "Don't engage. Just don't."

"Sharp wit?"

"Like a blade."

"No hope in winning?"

"None."

"Which means the faculty at Cadon…?"

Eleven laughed. "Oh, they're done for."

 


	35. Quantum Mathematics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> River and Rose begin their day at Cadon. Good looking Time Lord Cadets and difficult mathematical equations test the two Doctor's watching over them from Lungbarrow...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not a very clever person and tend to attempt to bluff my way through things here. If anything is inaccurate - so sorry - but it sounds good, right?
> 
> I have to add this chuffed mum moment. This morning my little Ten year old Time Lord snuck into my bed tugging along his TARDIS blanket and Dalek pillow (which yells exterminate - I kid you not - Nothing like hearing that at 3am I can tell you)... any way so I got a tap on the shoulder and I snagged a snuggle as he told me that he'd spent most of the morning thinking about Journey's End and how he didn't like how it ended for Rose and the Doctor, and so now he wants to write a fanfiction to fix it... is that okay with me and will I post it when he's done...
> 
> How do you say no to that? My next new fic might just be his effort ... hahahha....

The Mount Cadon campus of the Time Lord Academy was something to be seen. Much like the sentient family home of the Doctor, the facility's architecture was a woven tapestry of majestic tall trees. Some of the twisting columnar branches were white, some were brown, and some even had its own natural mosaic multi coloured texture. The grounds of the building were littered with fallen leaves of both silver and glassy transparency that glittered atop of the rusty red grasses and mottled grey stonework of the pathways.

Students of all ages, some mere children and others reaching their more silver years, milled around the campus. Age and gender did not seem to be a factor amongst the gathered groupings within the large student population. Several gatherings held pupils encompassing every age group and gender that were engaged in tightly civilized and intelligent conversation.

River Song and Rose stepped cautiously onto the campus grounds. Their focus was tight, their discomfort palpable. Even River Song, the unflappable and unstoppable fireball, was feeling slightly out of her league amongst the brightest of the Time Lord race. She knew that not all applicants were successfully admitted into the Academy. The testing criteria was intensive and sometimes cruel. Only a third of applicants actually made it to enrollment.

She should have felt pretty chuffed that she was among the Time Lord Elite. Of course she was very clever with intelligence that was off the scale against any human residing on planet Earth – but was she a match for a Lord of Time in training? Would this day come down to a battle of wits over intelligence just to make it through?

Her gaze fell to Rose, who gnawed nervously on her thumbnail as she looked about the place with terror. "Go into this like you're on a Torchwood assignment," she advised gently as she clutched Rose's wrist to remove her thumbnail from her mouth. "You've been assigned a covert mission on an alien planet…"

"…Full of brilliant men and women." she paused as a child no older than ten walked by her, his nose buried in a Quantum Mechanics text book. Her finger jutted toward him. "A kid, River. A kid!" She slumped and moaned. "I routinely make the Doctor look at me like I'm dribbling on my shirt, what hope do I have against an entire school of _Doctors_?"

"I do no such thing," the Doctor Ten argued into her ear via the communications earpieces he'd insisted that they wear. "I happen to think you're brilliant."

Rose merely slid a look toward River and adjusted the seat of the thick horn rimmed glasses on the bridge of her nose. She rolled her eyes and mouthed. _"Yeah, right. Whatever."_

"I can see you, Rose," he clarified. "Everything. Remember that. Whatever you two see, we do too."

"Which will be very important to remember if either of us has to use the bathroom," River muttered with amusement and mild distraction as she let her eyes trail over the rather impressive form of another of the students. She smiled at him as he offered her a friendly grin. "Oh. Yes please." She nudged Rose with her elbow. "It's not _all_ bad. I think that I just found the silver lining to all this."

Rose followed River's gaze and tilted her head to appreciate the confident swagger of a very attractive dark-haired Time Lord. Her eyes swiftly dropped to assess his taut backside. "Oh. My. Isn’t he just … _Well_.” She cleared her throat against her fist. “It just might be a very good idea for us to _mingle_ wouldn’t you say, River?”

“Well that should go without saying, Rose,” River agreed with a wink as she touched the very tip of her tongue to her lip. “I mean, we need _someone_ to show us around, don't we? Do you happen to know where the library is, Rose?"

“Why no,” she answered with a giggle. “Come to think of it, the lads didn’t give us a map of the place. But I will bet my TARDIS that _he_ knows.”

“Shall I go and introduce myself then, you think?”

“Let me just touch up your lip gloss.”

"Have you two forgotten that we’re watching over you here?" the Doctor Eleven groused jealously. "And would you care to focus, please?"

"Oh," River breathed appreciatively. "I'm _very_ focused."

"On your task," he snapped. "Not on the availability of the male cadets."

"Do I detect a bit of a jealous streak coming out, Sweetie," River remarked with amusement as they walked through an ornate pair of doors to lead them into the main building. She gasped and skidded to a stop on the middle of the hall. "Oh Hell. Just when you think that nothing on this planet could get more spectacular…"

"…this place appears," Rose finished for her. "Oh. Doctor. Where's your hand when I want it? _You_ should be showing me around this place, not letting us just wander about on our own." She chuckled lightly as another remarkably attractive Cadet strode past and offered her a wink and an appreciative look, which drew a husky “ _And hello to you too, handsome.”_ from River Song.

"I'll make it up to you, Rose, I promise."

"Sure you will," she sighed softly. She dropped her eyes to the folder she held in her arms to look at their schedule. "Quantum Mathematics? Are you bloody kidding me?" She whimpered painfully.

"Time Lords don't whimper," the Doctor warned lightly.

"This Time _Lady_ will most definitely whimper," she corrected. "And whimper when she damn well feels like it." She strode with deliberate arrogance through the lecture hall doors. She offered the professor a respectful nod upon entering the room. "I hate the both of you right now, you know that? Hate. Considering divorce proceedings."

"That's not funny."

"Who said I was joking?"

River took her hand and tugged her to a pair of available seats just left of the middle aisle. "Don't worry. You'll be fine. We'll just hide in the lecture Hall and don't get noticed

 

~~oooOOOooo~~

On a long table set up across the open doors of both TARDIS machines Ten had a pile of electronics. The same litter was in his lap. He had a pair of wires hanging out from between his teeth, and his sonic screwdriver whirred noisily to attach two wires. In a seat beside him, Eleven was in much the same position. Both Doctors were in the midst of creating what they believed to be the necessary gadgetry for the next phase of their plan.

They were both tightly focused on the projects at hand, but that didn't in any way diminish their focus of the twin monitors in front of them. Each monitor received a separate video feed from Cadon from the eye glasses the Doctors had insisted that the girls wear. The image was crisp, lag was minimal, and allowed them both to look that little bit deeper beyond the vision of the girls.

The microphones feeding the sound transmission was a small port on the right hand side of the frames, where it kissed at their cheek. It was in the perfect position to catch any and all sounds uttered by the girls, even the very quietest of whispers.

The Doctors made sure to cover off the bases. They wanted ears on to any and all worries and observations. They wanted to know the exact infliction in their tone so that they could, and _would_ move quickly if things got out of hand.

…Which they wouldn't. Nope. Everything was going to go nice and smooth.

Ten wasn't hotly impressed at Rose's absolute discomfort at being at Cadon. She'd been thrown into far more volatile situations with far less backup protection available and had never uttered a single complaint. He didn't want to acknowledge that he was slightly disappointed, but he would definitely admit to being concerned as to the reasons behind her discomfort. She had no reason to be worried. He and the Eleventh Doctor were both more that adequately equipped to help her through any of the tough questions that could be thrown her way.

He bit hard on the wires between his teeth as he tightened his focus on the monitor showing her feed.

"What do you think," he asked Eleven quietly. "Does she know something that we don't?"

Eleven swiped his fringe from his eyes and looked up at the monitor. "She's got our mother's consciousness running through her mind. And let’s not forget that Mother is borderline psychic. If she got that from her then there's a pretty good chance that she's seeing something we aren't."

"I’ll concede that Mum is a better telepath than we are." He hated to admit that. "And being surrounded by the Prydon energies from the mountain might be throwing some timeline images at her that could be spooking her, I suppose." He shook his head at himself. "We haven't exactly been giving her any exercises to help her learn to control it."

"Yes, well, perhaps you can work with her on that when you get back to Pete's World." Eleven straightened out a set of blue and red wires and measured them for length. "But let's not jump to conclusions. Her dealings with Time Lords hasn't been particularly positive to this point." He looked at the monitor. "I wouldn't blame her for being apprehensive, and neither should you. Look at us. We're so blasted panicked at the thought that we might bump into a cousin that we planned the landing for the Solstice – partway into the Academic year."

"And if we're worried…"

"Rose is going to pick up on it and react," Eleven finished. "One of the perils of a pairing bond, brother."

"That's very true." Ten tapped at the monitor ahead of him as Rose's feed momentarily flickered. "Oh. No."

Eleven looked up quickly. "What's wrong … Oh No." He pointed to the screen and looked quickly to his brother. "Lovolruvalliplagnornelanlorir. Isn't he dead yet? He's got to be almost three thousand years old."

Ten covered his eyes in his hand for a moment. "He was already in his second thousand year when he tortured us at the Academy." He let the hand fall to cover his mouth and let out a long breath. "He can smell fear a mile away. If he catches even a whiff that Rose is feeling uncomfortable, he's going to go on the attack." He poked hard at the screen. "He looked at her. He's looking directly at her. _Oh_ ," he huffed on a dangerously breathy laugh. "He's found his plaything today. Going after the new kid. That's low even for him."

"What lecture is this," Eleven spat in panic.

"Quantum Mathematics – Measurements in Quantum Mechanics."

"Good. Good. We're pretty strong in that field." He nodded feverishly and flicked on their muted microphone to establish connection. "Rose, sweetheart. You keep your ears on us, okay."

"Yeah, okay," she responded in clipped tones. "Why?"

"Your professor, Lovolruvalliplagnornelanlorir…"

"Shit, that's his name?"

"What did you think it was?"

"His home planet?"

"He's a Time Lord,” he said flatly. “He's from Gallifrey."

"Okay, so go on?"

"Lovolruvalliplagnornelanlorir was a professor back in our day, and wasn't a pleasant Lord to study under. I almost quit the Academy about four times because of him."

"Oh. Just. Great." A snort came down the line. "But that's okay. River's armed. We should be okay to seek vengeance for his torturing your younger self _. If you want_. We're playing hide and seek in the lecture Hall for now, so hopefully he won't notice us."

"I'm afraid you've already been quite noticed, Rose." He cleared his throat. "We suspect that he might press upon you ladies today to answer a few of his tougher questions."

"Shit."

"Yes. And then some," Ten replied. "But you are in luck, ladies. The Doctor and I happen to be specialists in Quantum Mathematics. Well, we have to be, don't we? Pilots of the TARDIS and all, travelers throughout time and space. Knowing a thing or two about how this whole hop skipping and jumping in between times and the theoretical knowledge behind the …"

"Doctor!" Her voice was a very harsh whisper. "I love you. Normally I love your rambling, too. But if you think you're going to get me through this then you are going to have to learn to: Slow. It. Down."

"Which is why I'll do the talking," Eleven muttered. "Sandshoes here does tend to rattle it all off a bit too quickly."

Ten just rolled his eyes.

"But for now, Ladies," Eleven warned. "You might want to listen to Lovolruvalliplagnornelanlorir. If he thinks that you're not listening, then he'll throw a theory at you and keep you standing at the front of the entire Quantum Mathematics lecture hall until you complete the equation to prove it."

"And if I can't?"

"Yes. Well." He looked at Ten. "We were lucky enough that we knew the equation, so we never did find out."

"Fine."

"Oh she's not happy," Ten muttered as he propped his elbow up on the table, slipped on his glasses, and cupped his chin in his hand to focus tightly on the screen and the lecture being held.

Eleven dropped into an identical position at his side. "Then you best use that big Time Lord brain of yours and figure out a spectacular way of making it up to her."

"Already considering options," he hissed as he leaned forward to increase the volume so they could hear much more clearly. "Oh," he suddenly breathed with a gleeful giggle. "Measurement probabilities and wavelength collapse. I love this stuff."

"It’s the only subject that we _didn’t_ want to fail," Eleven chuckled as he distractedly pointed a fist to his brother. Ten quickly bumped it with his own. They both hissed a fairly quiet sound of explosion and then leaned a few inches closer to the monitors to partake in the morning lecture.

An hour into the lecture, and all seemed to be smoothly rattling along. Ten had taken to taking extensive notes as long forgotten theories and working hypotheses were presented. Eleven had fallen into a fascinated lean with his chin seated in both hands, his jaw hung open and his eyes were wide and locked on the monitors. Both Doctors found themselves uttering desperate pleas every time one of the girls took their eyes off the professor to either look at the ceiling or to look at each other in boredom.

"Come on, girls," Ten moaned with obvious jealousy. "This is great stuff."

"Doctor," Rose whispered softly. "When you decided to tutor me in high school, why wasn't it physics? A base understanding would have helped me latch on to any part of this."

"Focus, Rose," Eleven urged softly.

Both Doctors suddenly sat up straight in their chairs as the monitors shows the swift approach of the professor. He strode directly to where Rose was seated and glared at her. The glare had both men slide back in their chairs as though to back away as far as possible.

"Do you feel as though my lecture is not stimulating enough to maintain your focus, young Lady?"

She muttered a swear under her breath.

"Choose your words really carefully," Ten warned fast. "Swearing is not an option."

"Well," Lovolruvalliplagnornelanlorir demanded hotly. "I posed a question to you. What is your response?"

"My response," She began slowly, with slight unsureness, "Is best reserved for outside of the lecture hall. As a mark of respect to our honoured professor, of course."

This seemed to intrigue the Professor. "A challenge, then, pupil?"

Both Doctors leaned their cheeks on their fists to watch how this was going to play out. Rose was a decent bluffer, but this was set to completely push her skills to the limit.

"Are we going to help her out," Ten queried Eleven.

"Let's see where she's going with this first. If we need in, we'll jump in."

"Not so much a challenge," Rose offered with a clearing of her throat. "It’s more of a query regarding the most recent advancements of the theoretical framework for wavelength collapse."

"Then feel free to share your thoughts with our peers." He folded thick arms across his chest. "You are Rose, of Lungbarrow, yes?"

She nodded. "If our honoured professor gives permission to be questioned. It has been recently documented that Earth studies have used quantum decoherence to provide an explanation for the absence of quantum coherence after measurement." She took a breath. "It is believed that Decoherence correctly predicts the form and probability distribution of the final eigenstates, and explains the apparent randomness of the choice of final state in terms of einselection. Your lecture didn't take that into consideration. In fact you stated quite clearly and without room for interpretation otherwise that wavelength collapse continues to raise serious concerns regarding the measurement problem."

There were cheers from both Doctors as they high-fived each other. "That's my beautiful, brilliant Rose," Ten purred through the mic. "I told you. You're brilliant. Absolutely _brilliant_."

Elation was short lived, however, as Lovolruvalliplagnornelanlorir's expression morphed to insulted anger. "Are you another of my pupils who is obsessed with that insignificant little green planet Earth," he bellowed as he turned to walk down the centre aisle stairs. He paused to look up at her. "You will follow me Rose of Lungbarrow."

She looked with desperation to River, who had shrank apologetically into her chair. _Help me, Doctor_ she mouthed to River before she straightened her Prydon Cadet robes and followed the professor.

Lovolruvalliplagnornelanlorir continued to project his deep and thundering voice toward all pupils as he dismissed Rose's claim of Earthen Scientists. He led Rose to a large whiteboard and dramatically flipped it around to reveal a very small problem equation. With a smile he handed her a whiteboard marker and bowed.

"There is still another forty five minutes until the end of this session. Using this Earth Science that you so eloquently quoted, I ask that you provide a solution."

Rose gulped rather loudly. "Oh. Sure. Yes. Of course."

"Do know, pupil, that this problem equation has only ever been solved by one of my students." He patted her condescendingly on her shoulder. "In over two thousand years of instructing Cadon students, only one. I don't presume that you will be my second, but please try."

Rose stared at the equation. "Please, boys. Please tell me that the pupil who solved this equation was you."

Eleven moved in close to the monitor, not surprised to find that Ten was mirroring his exact movements. Together they analyzed the equation.

"No," Ten muttered. "Not this one."

"Master was the one who solved that one," Eleven mused thoughtfully. "But give us a moment to talk and let us see what we can come up with." He looked to Ten. "Factoring in Earth formulas as well, of course."

"Don't be too long," she pleaded. "They're all on the staredown right now. I'm not a fan of being front and centre. That's more of a River thing."

The two Doctors quietly spoke between the two of them. Ten jutting down quick points and notes, Eleven working through the numbers on a separate sheet of paper. After approximately seven minutes and thirteen seconds, Ten let out a single laugh of victory.

"Okay, Rose, honey. We've got it. You ready?"

"You solved it?" she squeaked quietly.

"Of course we did," he huffed as though somewhat insulted she thought otherwise. "Walk in the park. Now. Listen closely…"

It took almost the full forty five minutes to decipher the various equation information provided by both Doctors and draw it accurately on the board. When she was finished, she capped the marker and stood back to admire the Doctor's work.

"My clever boys," she whispered. She readied to set the marker back into the cradle, but paused with a deep tilt of her head. It was clear to the two Time Lords back at Lungbarrow that she was receiving instruction from another source. "Oh. Yes. Definitely," she purred in a giggle. "Plenty of room for me to add _that._ "

The Doctors watched with curiosity as Rose returned to the board and began to draw in the blank space remaining on the board. A series of loops and circles and more circles within circles. She added key dots, and then the finishing lines, and stepped back.

Now satisfied, she recapped the marker and set it on the cradle. She gave a respectful bow to the Professor. "I believe you will find your problem solved – using Earth theoretical principals in combination with accepted Gallifreyean methods."

His eyes flicked to the board and locked on the Circular Gallifreyan message that finalized her presentation. "What is it you have signed your problem with, pupil?"

She gave him her most innocent stare, trying hard to ignore the muffled laughter from River Song in the gallery. "It's an Earth quote I have spelled phoenetically into Gallifreyan for you, Honoured Professor. I believe the language wholly appropriate given that I have provided solution using theories of Earth scientists."

Lovolruvalliplagnornelanlorir took moment to carefully sound out the letters. "Get stuffed, you daft twat." He frowned. "And this translates to?"

"It translates to: _Thank you, Honoured teacher_ ," she lied with a bow. "Now, may I be excused?"

"You may," Lovolruvalliplagnornelanlorir replied sternly. "Rose of Lungbarrow, I look forward to analyzing your continued progress."

The two Doctors were very quiet. Their lips were identically pursed and their expressions close to completely neutral. With slow and deliberate movements they turned toward each other and then continued to turn to look back at their silent TARDIS machines.

"Oh," Ten growled darkly. "I don't approve of that. Not at all. Not in the slightest." He flicked his finger in between the two machines. "Whichever one of the two of you is responsible for that, there will be repercussions."

"They're both looking pretty smug," Eleven muttered with an unimpressed look.

"You can just see them high-fiving each other, can't you?"

"Both of you," Eleven charged. "Bad girls."

~~oooOOOooo~~

Lovolruvalliplagnornelanlorir stayed behind in the lecture hall after the last of the cadets had exited. He had his back hunched and his hands pressed into the table top when his assistant, a Time Lady with crystal green eyes, raven hair and blood red smile, stepped in to provide him with his afternoon schedule.

"Is everything fine with you, Lovol," she asked with intimate familiarity in her tone of voice. "What do you need?"

"Sylvania," he answered gruffly. "Please clear my schedule for this afternoon. I must speak with Arcadia as soon as possible."

Sylvania touched tenderly at his arm. "I can make those arrangements for you immediately. Is all okay?"

He shuddered. "I just felt as though time herself just walked into my Lecture hall."

"Don't be so foolish," she said with a soft laugh. "Lovol, my dear. I think that you've been working too hard."

"I still wish to discuss. Please make the arrangements."

"Yes, Lovol."

 


	36. Wormhole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ladies some to the aid of a young cadet being bullied by one of the older pupils. They make a new friend that immediately unnerves the Doctors back at Lungbarrow.

The young boy meandered with practiced autonomy along the majestic wide corridors of the Mount Cadon Academy Campus. His nose was undistractedly buried inside his Quantum Mathematics textbook and his focus too tight to the text that he was blind to anything else around him. Other cadets merely stepped out of his way as their paths met or crossed, and he paid no mind to it. He had to find the answer to the question posed by that pink and yellow Time Girl to their honoured professor during the lecture. Lovolruvalliplagnornelanlorir's expression to that Time Girl's accusation that he'd missed some interstellar theories in his lecture was unmistakable. She knew something that he didn't – and the Honoured Professor didn’t like to not know something.

The young boy may only be seated on the day of the ninth anniversary of his nameday, and only one celestial year into his study at the Academy, but he knew Lovolruvalliplagnornelanlorir's reputation intimately. The professor with over two thousand years of teaching at the Academy had rarely been challenged. On those very rare occasions where he had received a challenging remark from one of his pupils, that pupil had been rather tersely and publically reprimanded.

…But not the new girl. She had challenged, and she had won. Even answering the impossible equation. Using  _Alien_  theories. Very intriguing indeed.

Now who was she, this  _Arkytior of Lungbarrow_?

_Arkytior of Lungbarrow._ At least, that's how he heard the name. He had to have heard that wrong, though. He was the last of the cousins to be loomed at Lungbarrow. The last born member of a family home in complete disarray. She couldn't be a long lost cousin of his. Unfortunately he knew all of his cousins too well, and none of them resembled a yellow-haired girl. A recent possible regeneration, perhaps? He may have considered that option likely if any of his cousins dared to partake in any dangerous adventures that might one day result in a regeneration. They were far too lazy and self-absorbed for that. He hadn't been advised of any deathdays in the house, so no replacements would have been approved.

Or perhaps she was newly paired from a different house. He felt immediate pity for her if that was the case and put a curse on her behalf to whatever universal forces had deemed a pairing between her and one of his cousins was necessary.

_Of course. All Irrelevant really, to a nine-year old_. He thought in his mind as he scanned the text in search of the solution to his mind's desperate need to have all of the answers. He licked at the side of his mouth in thought as he flicked the page and looked through a page of figures, equations, symbols and definitions.

A shrill, but by no means annoying, laugh took his attention off the book a moment and he looked up quickly. The laughter was paired with another huskier sound of amusement, and in short time the two sounds melded into a singular symphonic note that echoed from wall to wall. Laughter wasn't something he typically heard in the halls of Cadon, and so he felt pressed to investigate. His eyes fell on the doorway to the female bathroom, and to the highly amused forms of the two new girls on campus.

The one with the straight hair – Arkytior – appeared to be almost breathless as she clutched desperately at her chest. Her peach coloured lips stretched wide across her face to bare magnificently white teeth parted in laughter. Her friend, slightly older looking and with tightly coiled curls in her blonde hair, was just as amused, however, and he couldn't help but note the deep crimson hue of embarrassment in her cheeks.

Her muttering about forgetting to remove her glasses prior to using the facilities, and the meaning behind that was lost to the young boy. But it seemed only to intensify Arkytior's hilarity toward the situation. Her laughter, her absolute brilliant delight, ticked slightly at the edge of his mouth. The way she held at her chest as her eyes watered and how she lightly bounced on her feet to sway her golden hair had a slight hypnotically addicting quality to it.

He couldn't help it. He broke out into a smile and pulled his open text book into his chest as he watched. The only place he ever saw happiness like that was in the eyes of his mother when father was near. Their whispered little secrets and affectionate play always brought out that light in her.

And oh, how he missed his parents right now. Unseen in months as they journeyed a mission for Council. He had hoped that they would have returned to Gallifrey in time for his  _loomday_  – as his mother jokingly called it. While such celebrations were absent in Gallifreyan society, his mother was particularly insistent on celebrating these anniversaries. She would be here if she could. He knew that. She would make sure to take him to his favourite place in the bluffs, where they would look over the forests below the mountain under the light of the full moon in the sky when she returned. She would sing that cheesy little song she said that she learned from her travels to the Milky Way Galaxy across the universe. Sing that cheesy little song as she held out a small cake lit with a single candle and tell him to make a wish as he extinguished it with a breath.

Such a strange little custom, but he loved it.

He found himself singing the little ditty in his head as he closed his eyes and imagined the laughter from the two girls about twenty feet away from him to be the laughter of his mother.

_Happy loomday to me_ …

There was a hard shove against his shoulder, and the young boy was thrown forward. He stumbled lightly in his step and gasped as his book spilled to the floor.

"Wormhole," another Cadet called with a grunt. "Why don't you watch where you're standing?"

"I've told you plenty of times, Arkhew, that my name is not  _Wormhole_ ," he returned dryly without raising his head as he crouched down to collect his book. His face was set in a frown as he tried to smooth out the creases in the paper. "Ruined."

Arkhew pulled the young boy to a stand with a sharp tug on his ear. "You prefer  _Snail_?"

"I prefer my name," he answered back. He let his eyes scrape up to his older cousin's face and looked through a thick sandy-coloured fringe at him. "You know it. Try using it."

"Feeling a little testy today are you?" Arkhew shot back with curled lip. He looked to pair of cadets who were obviously friends of his. "Looks like Wormhole might have finally grown himself a pair." He shoved at his shoulder. "Asking for a hiding, you are."

"I'm just asking for you to leave me alone," he answered back quietly. "Don't you have a class to attend?"

"It’s lunch time," Arkhew muttered as he chewed on his thumbnail and eyeballed a female cadet as she passed. He waggled a brow at her as she blinked with an appreciative smile and leaned back slightly to his friends. "And that would be  _who_?"

"Cintocet of Fordfarding," his friend answered. "Betrothed to a member of the house of Oakdown, apparently." He shrugged. "Although that could be just society rumour."

"Not a rumour," the young boy answered quietly, his head still downcast. "The entire Academy is talking about it."

Arkhew snapped his head down. "Did I say you could speak, Wormhole?"

He huffed lightly in annoyance. "My apology for the disrespect, cousin."

Arkhew snatched the boy by the shoulder of his dark maroon cadet tunic and practically lifted him as he moved him from the centre of the hallway toward the wall. "Disrespect to one of your elders in a public forum, Wormhole. What does that mean?"

"I'm close to guessing," he replied dejectedly. He looked up pleadingly, his whole stature shrinking under the glare of his cousin. "Please, Cousin. Spare me the heavy hand."

He threw the young boy against the wall. "And why would I spare you that?"

"Because I would like to have one day where I am not accosted by my elder cousins and humiliated in front of the entire student body." He exhaled a long suffering breath. "Just one."

Arkhew seemed to consider the request for a moment. He cupped at his chin and looked upward at the monumentally high ceilings above them. He let his eyes trail down the wall, and to the boy standing in front of him with his head down and his shoulders slumped. "I've considered your request," he said along a stern breath.

The young boy waited. The longer the pause, the tighter his brows knitted together. "And?"

"And," Arkhew rumbled along a sneer. "Not today, Wormhole." He gave the young boy a double-fisted shove at his shoulders.

The boy let out a yelp as he stumbled backward. His feet caught at the long drag of the robe worn over his tunic, and he stumbled awkwardly to the ground. His books and papers spilled to the floor around him. He gasped as he struggled around thick fabric as his Cousin rounded on him.

A sudden sharp demand to stop thundered in a hot female voice as a pair of blonde cadets shot by him.  It was immediately clear that their trajectory toward the three large male cadets. The cry was such, and the movement of the girls so swift, that the young boy had to gasp. If he ever needed the perfect example to illustrate the Doppler Effect, he just received it.

"What the Hell do you think you're doing," Rose hollered as she drove both hands into the chest of Arkhew. "Picking on a child?"

"Does it make you feel like a big man," River Song demanded with absolute disgust, "to pick on a young child?"

Arkhew quickly seized his balance and curled a lip at the two women. "This is none of your concern," he snapped. "This is house business, and I'll ask you to remain out of it."

"Not gonna happen," River Song snarled.

"You wanna take on him," Rose added. "Then you're going to have to go through the two of us." She looked with belated question to River Song. "Yeah, both of us, right?"

"Oh," she growled with a laugh. "So right you are." She flicked her hair with threatening arrogance. "Or are you too coward to take on an adult woman?"

"Coward enough to lay hands on a child," Rose muttered as she took a step forward and raised up onto her toes to attempt to bring herself to roughly the same height of Arkhew. Unfortunately she fell almost six inches too short to achieve it. "So? What about it? You wanna try pounding on a pair of Time Girls instead of a young child." She looked at the group. "Three against two. I think we're good for numbers."

River Song actually cracked her knuckles. "Nah, Rose. They're sorely outnumbered."

Arkhew puffed himself up and loomed over Rose as best he could. He had the gall to flick at her hair in a condescending gesture. "Now. How about you be a good girl and get out of my way. It would serve you well to mind your manners. This is between Wormhole and I."

She shook her head. "No. It isn't." she took a couple of steps backward, extending her hands behind her in search of the young boy so that she wouldn't trip over him. "See. Wormhole – and really, what kind of name is that for a child – is now under my protection."

"And mine," River added sharply. "So be a good little Time Brat and sod off before you find out what we Time Girls are truly capable of."

Arkhew slapped at his friend's chest with the back of his hand and then pointed toward the pair. "I’ve got a lecture to go to anyway.  But if you two think this is over," he warned. "You're mistaken."

"Bring it," River growled in classic Earth Gangsta style, complete with a double-handed slap to her chest.

Rose waited until she saw their retreating forms before she quickly spun in place and dropped onto her knees in front of the young boy. Her movements were a flurry of activity as she checked him out for any sign of injury. "Are you okay, little Lord," she queried tenderly as she lightly cupped his cheeks in her hands and looked into his face. "Did they hurt you?"

His eyes were horrifically wide, stunned, and confused. "Thank you," he managed with a croak. "You didn't have to do that."

River had gathered up the bulk of his papers and had stuffed them none too neatly into his text book. "No," she assured softly. "But we wanted to. Grown men picking on a young boy, it's deplorable."

"It's not so bad," he answered with a lowered head as he took his book and papers from River Song and held it against his chest. "I'm used to it." He scratched at his hair and looked around nervously. "But I thank you for your help." He tried to bring himself to a stand, but stumbled again as he tripped on his robes. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "By, Rassilon, really?"

Rose looked up to River Song and flicked her eyes downward in a demand for her to sit. She, herself, plonked her butt on the floor and crossed her legs in a lotus fold. She smiled warmly as she leaned her elbows into her knees and leaned forward with a cheeky smile. "Looks a good a place as any to take the load off."

The young lad gave a startled look. His surprise deepened to see River Song adopt an identical seat of crossed legs, but leaned backward with her palms into the floor instead of a forward lean. "Oh. Uhm. This is most unusual."

"What," River asked with a smirk. "Sitting down?"

"No," he breathed carefully. "Sitting on the floor in the middle of the hall." He looked around with mild embarrassment at the passing students. "This is most undignified."

Rose shrugged with a tongue-in-teeth smile. "No chairs. Sore feet. What can ya do?"

"I suppose," he returned with a tilted head.

Rose took his hand and tugged lightly in a request for him to join them. In a second, he was on his own backside with his legs crossed in a forward lean.

"So," she began. "Who was that idiot, and why was he bullying you?"

The young boy closed in on himself at that moment. His body slouched forward and his arms moved into a tighter hold of himself. "It's nothing," he breathed. "Just a misunderstanding, really."

"It always is," River moaned facetiously. "And let me guess. All  _your_  fault, right?"

"I shouldn't have disrespected him," he answered in a barely audible voice. "I should know better."

"No," Rose cooed softly. " _He_  shouldn't be disrespecting  _you_." She dipped her head to try and coax him to look at her. "You know what my mum always said to me about bullies," she said as she caught the smallest glimmer off a pair of brown eyes hidden in the shadow of the slouch of his arms. "Bullies are just jealous. Jealous because you're smarter than they are, you're better looking than them, you're a nicer person than them…"

"Because they're a douchebag and you aren't," River song added. She rubbed at the boy's shoulder. "Do you know the best thing you can do about people like that?"

He lifted his head slightly. "What?"

"Ignore them," she offered. "They get a kick out of getting a reaction from you. If you just do the nonchalant shrug and turn away, then you'll find they'll lose interest after a try or two."

"Or three or four," Rose offered. She shrugged as River shot her a glare.  "Hey. Let's not give him false hope here. Take it from someone who knows. There was more than one reason that I left High School before graduation."

The young boy looked at her with a furrowed brow. "High School?"

She waved her hand and shook her head. "Ahh. Never mind. Long story." She looked at his book. "So. Studying Quantum Mathematics." She couldn't help but chuckle. "Great. How old are you?"

"I am nine celestial cycles past my looming."

"Nine," Rose said with a high-toned voice and a nod of her head. "Nine, River. He's only nine! Studying the tough stuff!"

River noted the disbelief in her voice, and found herself holding much the same reaction. "I'm impressed, young man."

He shrugged. "Thanks. But there's no need to be impressed. It's pretty standard level curriculum for my age group." He rubbed at the back of his head. "Nothing special."

"Oh, but I bet you are," Rose challenged with a smile. She caught his disbelieving look and waggled her finger in a tut-tut side to side movement. "Don't try to convince me otherwise. I know special and brilliant when I see it. You, young Lord, are brilliant." She tipped her shoulder to her ear. "You'll probably change the world one day. No. Not just the world. The entire universe."

River nodded in agreement and thumbed up the corridor. "And assholes like your bully-friend back there will amount to nothing more important that a gnat's fart bubbling in a treacle pot."

The young boy started to laugh. Rose Moaned. "Oh that's true class right there, River. Flatulence, really?"

She winked and snapped a smile at the young boy clutching at his belly and laughing. "It doesn't matter what planet you're on, a fart will always be the wildest source of entertainment to any boy. Am I right?"

"You can't argue with the evidence," she sighed with a smile.

Seeing that the lad was smiling, the girls slowly drew themselves to a stand. Rose dropped her hand to offer to help the boy to his feet. He gladly slipped his hand into hers and pulled himself up. His face was slightly flushed from the laughter, and he seemed to have perked up.

"Well, little Lord," Rose said with a smile as he righted himself and got a steady foothold on the ground. "It was a pleasure to meet you. I hope that guy will leave you alone now."

"Are you leaving," he asked quietly. "Already?"

Rose scruffed at his hair. "As much as I'd love to cut class, hang around. Or head back home, kick some Time Lord asses." She frowned. "Hold on. Time Lords who have been too damn quiet for my liking."

"Yeah. I had noticed," River added as she tapped the receiver in her ear. "Did we lose you after bathroom gate, boys?"

A single clearing of a throat finally made it over the comms. "We're here." Ten's voice was quiet and slightly husky and croaked. "Still here."

The young boy looked at River with confusion. "Who are you talking to?"

"Noone," Rose sang with a light nudge at River with her shoulder. "She likes to talk to herself. She's a little nuts this one."

"Certifiable," River confirmed. She pinched at the lad's cheek. "Great to meet you, but we really do have to go. We need to grab some lunch and then have another class to attend, then we have free time for a couple of hours."  She chuckled.  “Gotto love Academy life, not much lingering in lecture halls.”

"That’s probably why they spend a century here, River," Rose muttered with a grin. She checked her schedule. "What’ve we got after lunch, then?  The Ancient Fighting Arts – Close Combat Weaponry Skills. Oh-Kay."

"Finally. Something interesting," River breathed with mild thrill. "Thanks boys."

The young lad spread a thrilled smile across his face. He put his hands on his hips to invite them to hook their arms through his. "It looks like we're heading to the same class. Can I be honoured to escort you to lunch and then to class?"  He dipped his head with sudden embarrassment.  “My apology if that was out of line.”

"Oh not at all." River sang with a smile as she hooked her arm into his. She had to lean just slightly to accept his offer. "You’ve got more gumption than the other cadets here who just prefer to perve from a distance.”

“I don’t understand,” he admitted softly.

River pinched at his cheek.  “  I mean: Why not? We could use the help in navigating our way there, can't we, Rose?"

"Totally." Rose stood at his other side and threaded her arm though his as best she could.. "Lead the way, my Lord."

"I think we might find ourselves a little late for the cafeteria," he observed as he heard the warning bell chime above their heads.  “They don’t serve past the set of our first sun.”

"Oh then," she said with a grin as she dipped her head closer to his. "Then there's only one thing we can do."

"What's that," he asked with a tilt of his head.

Rose dropped her hand to clutch his hand in hers. Her face broke out in a grin. "Run!"

~~oooOOOooo~~

Ten shook his head as he watched the feed coming from Cadon. The panic had both of his hearts thundering rapidly inside his chest. "How can this be?"

"I thought you said you checked the time coordinates," Eleven growled.

"I did," he argued. "Several times."

"Then how did we end up on Gallifrey Eight hundred and fifty years earlier?"

Ten stood up and paced. "I don't know. I don't know." He flicked a hand to Eleven. "You checked the coordinates as well. You programmed them into your TARDIS. You would've noticed if something wasn't right."

"Yeah," he answered with his forehead in his hand. "It was good. There was nothing wrong with those coordinates."

Ten shot a look to the TARDIS. "Which means conspiracy by TARDIS. Again," he snarled. "Why do you keep doing this," he demanded of the machine. "Why?"

"Because they had to," Eleven said with gently closed eyes. He breathed steadily. "Because I remember this. All of it."

"Me too. That's what's unnerving me."

 


	37. Koschei

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose, River and their little Time Lord enjoy some downtime on the grasses of Cadon and meet his best friend, Koschei.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you've ever read the original story, this is where it takes a rather drastic leap. This is a brand new chapter that will change out a lot of the remaining adventure at Cadon. I hope this doesn't disappoint.

The cadets quietly wandering the halls of the Mount. Cadon Academy hallways were rather shocked to have to dart out of the way as a trio of cadets ran with joyous squeals and laughter through the corridor toward the front entrance to the main study wing of the building.  More than once, an annoyed older cadet remarked on the rudeness of the younger pupils and how they should respect those who have been studying for decades.  Their comments were met with a wink and a point of a finger-gun by River Song along with a retort that they should just chill out and live a little…

…Because Rassilon only knows the rest of their many regenerations would probably be boring as hell as they embarked upon council duties in Arcadia.

River Song was still chuckling to herself when they burst out into the sunshine and onto the red grasses of the courtyard.  “Really, do they actually teach uptightedness at this place?”

Rose laughed knowingly, whereas the young boy merely tilted his head with confused curiosity.  “Uptightedness,” he repeated softly.  “I don’t believe that’s a word – at least not in contemporary Gallifreyan.  Perhaps it’s from the more ancient dialects.  I haven’t really begun study on the older scripts.”  He raised his eyes at their wide-eyed looks and then dipped his head sheepishly.  “Which means I don’t know what it means.”

“It means,” River cooed with a grin.  “That the Time Lords you have training here at Cadon all have gigantic rods up their…”

“River!” Rose yelped quickly before that thought could be completed. She dropped the young lad’s hand to cover at his ears as she fired a look toward her friend.  “Innocent ears!”

River waved her off with a laugh.  “Oh, tell me you didn’t sneak in a swear or two at his age when you thought your mum wasn’t looking.”

“Yeah,” he admitted through gritted teeth.  “But he’s, you know, a Gallifrey boy.  Who knows if they even…”

“You’ve heard the Doctor, yeah?”

“Good point.” Rose actually let herself smile at the thought of sneaky swearing as a kid and the Doctor on a rampage of expletives when he and TARDIS disagree.  “Five billion languages, and swears in each one of them.”

“And, of course, kids are kids wherever they grow up,” River said with a wink.  Her words quickly fell to a purr as a pair of blonde Time Lord cadets swaggered past them.  “Hi boys.”

“River…”

River Song found herself questioning just where that little growl of warning came from.  She shrugged her shoulders and looked back to Rose.  “Just enjoying the sights.  Tourist and all that.”

Rose shook her head gently and dropped her head to the young boy.  She gave him a gentle look and a smile to match, but found herself giving the slightest gasp as his hands rose to covers hers, which were still held lightly over his ears.  “Little Lord?”

“You know,” he began softly.  “It is considered to be very inappropriate to not ask permission before seeking contact.”  He gave her a smile and let his fingers ghost lightly over hers.  “But I’m okay with it.  If you want to say hello.”

Rose was caught off guard and cleared her throat in discomfort.  “Uhm.  What?”

He tilted his head to one side.  “I’ve only just begun study and practical training on honing my telepathic skills, but I do believe that we can connect if you wish.”  He grinned wider.  “I’m sure that you’re well enough versed in the telepathic arts to be able to initiate and hold a stable connection between us.”

Rose peeped and quickly snatched her hands away from his head.  “Oh.  No.  I’m not.  I mean.  I don’t know…”  She looked with urgency toward River Song who shared her look of question. “I’m sorry, Little Lord.  But I didn’t realize.”

“Theta,” he said quietly as he lightly withdrew into himself and looked anywhere but between the two girls. 

“Theta?”  Rose repeated curiously.

“That’s what I’m calling myself right now,” he croaked.  “I’d like that you’d call me a name instead of _Little Lord_.”  He let out a breath.  “Of course, if you would prefer to distance yourself to me by using that title instead, then I will understand.  You are both far older and wiser than I am, and so to …”

“Theta sounds great,” River cheered lightly in interruption in an attempt to ease the boy’s growing insecurity.  “I like it.  It suits you.”  She shot a look toward Rose, who was wringing her hands together as if trying to clean them of some invisible goop.  “Doncha think, Rose?”

Rose nodded quickly and plastered a smile on her face.  “Of course.  I love it.  Very Greek God.”

Theta frowned.  “Greek?”

“Ahh.  Haven’t yet begun Earth studies?”

“I don’t believe there are any,” he replied with a strengthening voice.  “But should I look into it?”

River snorted.  “Depends if you intend on travelling a lot.  It might help you considering the Lords of Time seem to end up there quite a bit.”

“They do?” 

“And I find it curious,” she continued with a rub at her chin as she regarded the sandy-haired boy in front of her all full of innocent awe and wonder, “that you would chose a symbol, that in ancient dialects means _Earth_.”

“It does?”

“On Earth, yes.”

“Well that is very interesting.  I chose it in respect to my shared passions between quantum mathematics and Time,” he corrected with a confident smile.  “With that symbol being so heavily utilized across all of mathematics, how could I not chose such a curious word?”

“I don’t see the whole _Time_ aspect of it, though.”

He pursed his lips and nodded eagerly.  “My tutor says that it is a term used as a measure of the rate of decline in the value of an option due to the passage of time…”

“Time decay,” Rose interrupted softly.  “Almost appropriate and very morbid.”  She curved a brow and slid her eyes to River.  “And very _Accounting_.”

“Oh,” he answered sharply.  “I didn’t consider that.”  He then grinned.  “Perhaps I should bequeath this title to Koschei, then.  He has a certain morbidity about him.”

“And who is Koschei,” Rose queried softly.

“My friend,” he answered quickly.  “Really my _only_ friend, which is rather devastating when I consider it.  We argue quite a lot, but he is essentially a good boy.”

“Your _only_ friend,” Rose challenged with a petulant shrug of her shoulders.  “So what does that make me and River, then?  Just girls?  Are you all squicky about having girl friends?”  She sniffed and looked at River.  “Think we have cooties or something?”

River shrugged.  “Age is about right for that.”

“No! No,” he spat quickly.  “I didn’t mean it like that.  I would love to be your friend.”  He shuffled his foot adorably in the ground.  “I just didn’t want to make assumptions.”  His eyes raised to Rose.  “As I did when I believed that you wished to make a connection with me.  I’m sorry about that.”

“No need to apologise,” Rose assured softly. 

“I’m still learning,” he blurted quickly.  “I’ve been taught not to seek physical connections with others, as to touch is to invite a telepathic connection.”  He looked down at his hand and flexed his fingers.  “When you first took my hand and then just now pressed your hands to my head like you did, I truly believed that was your intent.”

“Is that how we become friends, then?”

He pouted and then gave a sheepish shrug.  “It’s a strengthened friendship.”  His eyes lifted again.  “So that I will know you in this regeneration and the next should we ever be parted by time.”

Rose swooned just slightly.  “That’s beautiful.”

“But,” he added quickly.  “We’re not able to regenerate just yet.  Still got a lot of study left to go before the council grants us our regenerative packages, which means I have a long time before I have to worry about us being separated.  So for now.”  He grinned and slid his hands into both River’s and Rose’s.  “I like this.  We can do this.”

“Oh,” River sang with a tight grin.  “You’re so delicious that I just want to eat you all up, you know that?”

“I hope that’s a good thing,” he chuckled with a squeeze of both hands.  “I’m finding it hard to tell with you two.”

“It’s very good,” Rose assured with a scruff of his hair.  “River’s not a vampire or cannibal so you’re safe from the literal translation.”

He shot her another horribly confused look, but quickly shook it off.  “Good to know.”  His breath hitched and a smile spread across his face.  “There’s Koschei.” 

The girls spun to look across the grasses toward another young boy a fair distance away.

“Is this where you abandon us, Theta,” Rose queried with a smirk.  “So you can head off and play with your friend?”

He shook his head as he dropped his hands from theirs.  “No.  Not at all.  I’m going to go get him so you can meet.”  He looked between them with eyes almost begging.  “You’ll wait for us?”

“Sure thing,” Rose assured with a smile to match his.  “Take your time, we’ll be right here.”

He waved urgently at them as he danced from foot to foot.  “Be right back.”

River Song chuckled as the young lad took off across the grasses, his robes flapping behind him in a splay not unlike a superhero cape.  “We have an academy full of adult Lords, and we make friends with the youngest one on campus,” she mused with a chuckle.

“Well,” Rose chuckled.  “It’s safer than making friends with a good looking older one, lest our Time Lords get all jealous and start snarking down the communicators at us.”

River snorted in amusement.  “Oh but your Lord should be jealous.  I think little Theta has developed a crush on his beautiful Arkytior.”

“I wonder why he calls me that,” Rose mused quietly.

 _“It means Rose in Gallifreyan,”_ A deep voice answered from Lungbarrow.  _“And, yes, he’s developing a crush, so please play it cautiously from here.”_

River snorted a laugh and slapped Rose on the shoulder.  “Told you!  Oh Arkytior and Theta sitting in a tree…”

“Bloody juvenile,” Rose growled back in response.  She licked at her lip.  “Should we find a way to politely excuse ourselves then, boys?”

 _“No need,”_ Tentoo answered softly.  _“If he tries to connect and senses that you’re bonded…”_

 _“Yeah, bonded,”_ Eleven snarled in.  _“Remember who she’s bonded to, Chuck.”_

 _“Did you just call me_ Chuck _?”_

_“Yeah, I did.”_

_“Oh.  Real clever.  Want to see how far up your arse I can shove my Chuck?”_

Rose groaned and rubbed at her brow as the taunts between brothers continued from Lungbarrow.  “Well, considering my choice of Lords has a maturity level at around the same age as young Theta…”

River snorted and hooked her arm around Rose’s.  “Well.  While our Lords are adequately distracted by their need to regress to kids to verbally beat each other, shall we go and investigate a most worthy pair of curious Time Lords in training who have been eyeballing us for the past ten minutes?”

Rose let her eyes shift toward a pair of cadets.  She had to smile as her brow arched high.  “Oh.  Are we being checked out?”

“We are,” River answered with a wink.  “And just what kind of rude would we be if we don’t give them the opportunity to speak to us rather than leer across the courtyard?”

“But we told Theta that we’d wait for him.”

“You really like that kid, don’t you?”

Rose nodded and let her tongue flick at the side of her mouth.  “He’s adorable,” she admitted.  “And, oh I dunno, there’s something about him that just seems so familiar.”  She shrugged.  “It’s strange, but I just have this need to protect him and make sure he’s okay, you know?”

River pursed her lips and nodded.  “You’re the protector of the Storm, apparently.  Maybe that need to be a protector extends to the whole of Gallifrey and her children; not just the Doctor?”

Rose shook her head.  “No.  Not really.  I’ve met some Lords that I’d rather not protect.”  Her eyes widened and she hiccupped lightly to see that the pair of Lords who had been watching suddenly begin a swift approach toward them.  “Oh Hell.”

“Oh, yes,” River purred.  “Come to mamma you delicious boys.”  She ignored the heated warning from Lungbarrow and raked her eyes up and down the forms of the two men as they approached.  “Can we help you gentlemen?”

Rose rolled her eyes and groaned, but quickly righted herself to a coy stance at an elbow jab from River.  “Good afternoon, Lords.”

The two men paused less than five feet away from the girls and made their own display of raking their eyes up and down the both of them. 

“Good afternoon Ladies.”

River rather ostentatiously selected her Lord of choice and let her eyes rise coyly to his.  “So what brings you across the grasses of Cadon?”

The Lord flicked his head to shift the floppy seat of his fringe from his eyes.  A piercing set of hazel eyes regarded her with a rather hungry stare.  “We couldn’t help but notice the two newest members of the Academy and wanted to introduce ourselves.”  He flicked a look toward the wall of the building, where Theta and Koschei looked to be deep in conversation.  “While I understand that you – as ladies of Lungbarrow – find yourselves compelled to protect and nurture the Snail as a member of your house.  It would be in your best interests to seek the company of cadets more … suited … to your..”

“Oh hold on,” Rose snarled with a sharp rise of her finger.  “Did you just…”  She stopped her rant before it could begin as River pushed her hand down and clucked her tongue.  “River?”

“Are you jealous,” she challenged brazenly, “of a younger cadet?”

He lifted his hand to twirl a curl of her hair around his finger.  “Jealous, no,” he said smoothly.  “I’ve no use or inclination toward envy.  Not toward him, anyway.”

Rose rolled her eyes and then let them settle on the other cadet.  This young man was far less brazen and more curious as he took her in.  He regarded her with a small smile and an analytical stare. 

“Please forgive Tauver,” he muttered softly.  “He does tend to speak and act before he thinks, and can therefore come across a bit arrogant and self assured.”

“Brain to mouth filter malfunction, then?”

“It does seem that way,” he agreed with a light chuckle.  “I’m Alorgron of Oakdown.  My fellow Cadet is Tauver of Redloom.”

“Oh,” Rose breathed through a pout.  “I’m Rose and this is my cousin, River…”

“Of Lungbarrow, yes,” he finished for her.  “Your sudden presence has caused quite the whisper throughout the halls of Cadon.”

“That’s not usually a good thing,” she groaned.

“That all depends on your interpretation of _good_ ,” he said with a roll of his eyes and a shrug in his shoulder.  “I’d merely suggest that it’s a neutral state.  The Cadets here are just curious.  We don’t have new arrivals mid-way into the celestial cycle.”

“We are transfers from another chapter,” River butted in quickly.  “Rose has been recently betrothed with a member of the Lungbarrow house, and I was sent as chaperone to watch until council approval is granted for a pair bonding.”

Alorgron licked at his lip and nodded slowly.  “Council approval for pair bonding isn’t easy to get.”  He frowned.  “And why do you find yourself wanting to achieve a union like that with a member of that house?  It doesn’t have the finest reputation.”

“Because my hearts will not beat for anyone else,” Rose snipped.  “I’m not marrying the house, I’m marrying _him_.”

“Then be sure that his hearts won’t beat elsewhere, either,” he advised.  “You’ve got a lot of centuries ahead of you.  Best that you’re sure before you take that leap.”

“I’m very sure,” she whispered harshly.  “He’s my entire universe.”

He chuckled and gave her a sly wink.  “The universe expands constantly, Rose of Lungbarrow.  Remember that.”

“Which means what, _exactly_?”

He bowed with a cheeky smile.  “I wasn’t part of _your_ universe until just now.”

There was a steady stream of threats and expletives that cursed along the communications lines from Lungbarrow, but Rose chose to ignore it.  She instead leaned in a little closer and made a point of scrutinizing the cadet standing before her.  “Oh.  Are you, perhaps, contesting a betrothal, Alorgron of Oakdown?” she sniffed hard enough to lift one side of her lip.  “It’s rather unbecoming of a Lord of Time to approach a Lady betrothed to another, is it not?  Would you like to have me arrange for a meeting between yourself and the Lord with which I have pledged my hearts and my honour?”

Judging by the sneers and growls coming from Lungbarrow, the Doctor was more than willing to oblige such a request.  Rose, however amused she was by it, really hoped that her bluff wouldn’t be called.

River, on the other hand, was more than eager to see such a showdown.

“I’m very sure that your intended bond mate would be more than willing to agree to a meeting,” River said with a chuckle. 

Alorgron snapped a glare toward her.  “Unnecessary,” he snapped.  “I’m not going to set my house up for competition for a Lady I barely know.”  He sniffed deeply.  “Even if she does wear the essence of Time like an expensive perfume.”

“You saying I stink?”

“I’m saying that Time seems to wrap herself around you when you walk the halls, Rose of Lungbarrow,” he answered back suspiciously.  “You, and of course you,” he cast his eyes to River, “Are clearly here out of your own time.  It won’t be too long before questions are posed and answers are sought.  You’ll need all the protection of those of the highest standing here at Cadon to keep you from being…”  He grinned.  “Found out.”

Tauver nodded in agreement.  “You’ve caught the fascination of many cadets and Lords alike here at Cadon.  Best watch yourself.”

“I wouldn’t listen to them,” a small voice growled from behind them.  “Especially Alorgron.  Such miniscule intelligence that I wonder how he has survived almost a century here at the Academy.”

Alorgron scowled at the young dark haired boy that strode confidently in between River Song and Rose to stand directly before him.  “Koschei, you little woprat.”

“Cousin,” he said with an exaggerated yawn of boredom.  “Are you falling so beneath yourself right now that you’ve taken to frightening female cadets to feel like a Lord?”

Alorgron rolled his eyes with disgust and humphed as his eyes found the other young boy, who stood with a much more timid and slouched disposition behind the two ladies.  “Snail.”

“Theta,” Rose corrected sharply.  “And I would make sure that you remember that name because one day this young cadet is going to be the Lord who will change the universe.”

“If he’d change his tunic I’d be impressed,” Alorgron said with a snort.  He gave a dismissive wave toward the three of them.  “I wouldn’t believe the stories he tells, Rose and River of Lungbarrow.  This child will never amount to anything close to what his father is – not that it’s saying all that much.  Ulysses is not exactly a respected household name these days.”

River Song and Rose let up a gasp.  Theta’s head shot upward.  “How _dare_ you speak ill of my father.”

“Oh, little Snail.  I don’t have to.”  He leaned down in a condescending lean toward the young boy.  “The houses of Prydon are speaking it for me.  At least I have the courage to do it to your little face.”

Rose launched forward to hold at Theta’s arm to prevent him from jumping forward to attack.  The young lad growled and spat a mouthful of words that the TARDIS refused to translate, but had Alorgron throw his head back in laughter.

“Alorgron of Oakdown,” Koschei growled with as much menace as a small child could.  “This is most unbecoming of a cadet at Cadon.  Stop this behaviour or I will have you reported to the Dean.”

“And just what are you going to do about it?”

Koschei straightened up and looked down his nose toward his cousin with a tired and bored expression.  His glare tightened and then locked onto the eyes of the elder cadet.  “What I do best,” he purred with a grin that spread hauntingly across his cheeks.  “And now you will listen to me, dear cousin.”

Theta slumped against Rose’s grasp and let out a long moan.  “Koschei, no.  Please don’t.”

“He needs to learn,” Koschei snarled.  “Because I’m tiring of this.”  He shifted his glare to a step beyond tightly focused and let out a long breath.  “Timid as a Tafelshrew and as quiet as a cobblemouse.”

“Oh come on, Koschei,” Theta begged.  “I don’t want to have to reverse that.”

“Then don’t.”

“Well I have to, don’t I?  You never do,” he whined.  “And I don’t like always having to be the bearer of the brunt of annoyance every time you do this!”  He looked up hopelessly at Rose.  “It’s no wonder I’m always ending up at the Dean’s office.”

River angled her head curiously to one side to watch as Koschei’s stare at his cousin completely stilled the Cadet and took out all of his fight.  “Whatcha doin’?” she sang curiously.

“He’s hypnotising him,” Theta moaned as he covered his face with his palm.  “Making his cousin more like a Neverlander than a Lord of Time.”

Rose snorted in delight.  “Oh can he make him cluck like a chicken, too?”

“Like a _what_?”

“Oh, never mind,” she sighed, “wrong planet.”

Koschei took a step back from his cousin and tore his gaze away from him to look toward River Song and Rose.  “Now, _cousin_ , don’t you have something that you need to say to the ladies?”  He waited for a short moment and then grunted.  “Well?  Do you?”

Alorgron shook himself and then spared an apologetic glance toward the girls.  He lowered into a respectful bow.  “I apologise for my behaviour.  It was unprovoked and unnecessary.  Lungbarrow and all of her children are respected.”

“And now Theta,” Koschei growled.

Alorgron looked toward the sandy haired boy.  “I express my apologies to you, also, young Lord.  Your father and his many exploits across the universe are well regarded and honoured to all.”

Theta looked most unimpressed.  “If I thought for a second that you actually meant it, I’d accept your apology.” 

Alorgon dropped his head.  “Understood.  I shall make every attempt to garner your approval, young Lord.”  He turned on his heel and slowly began to walk away from the group.  At his side, Tauver walked with concern and fear, sparing a glance of question back to the dark haired boy by River’s side.

“This isn’t the end of it,” he challenged with a jutting point of his finger.

“No, I imagine it is only the very beginning.”

Theta slumped and hauled himself from his position to jog after the pair.  “Alorgon of Oakdown, do please wait a moment.”

“Oh come on, Thete, really?  Just let him be like this for the rest of the day – the entire student body will thank you.”

“I don’t think so,” Theta growled.  “I’m the one who has to deal with Arkhew when he finds out.”

“Then send him to me, I’ll do the same to him.”  He grinned a toothy grin.  “Anything for my best friend!”

“I hate you.”

Koschei chuckled and turned back to Rose and River.  He held out his hand in greeting.  “Arkytior and River.  Theta tells me that you like to hold hands in greeting.  I would be remiss not to offer you the same courtesy.  I’m Koschei of Oakdown.”

River took his hand and gave it a firm shake.  “Koschei.  Theta has told us about you.”

He laughed.  “Not all of it, obviously.”  He extended his hand to Rose and tilted his head curiously at her.  “Arkytior.  Thete has quite the admiration for you.”

“And I him,” she said with a smile as she took his hand.  “You appear to be quite the young lad, yourself.” 

“One of us has to be the courageous one,” he offered with a shrug.  “Thete has great potential, he just has to find his confidence.”  He pressed his lips together and shrugged.  “Truth is, I’m as scared as he is.  I just have a better method of handling things when they get to be too much.  Thete, well.  He’s still finding his way, which is hard with a household full of cousins who despise you.”

“You’re a good friend,” Rose offered with a smile.  “He’s very lucky to have you.”

“That’s debatable depending on who you listen to.  His cousin Quences would prefer that Thete and I were to go our separate ways, but I kind of like him.  He can be fun.”

River Song watched as in the distance Theta stilled Alorgron with a grasp of his wrist and began to talk quietly to him.  “So what did you do, anyway?”

Koschei shrugged.  “Basic hypnosis,” he answered.  “Alorgron has a weak mind and is very easy to manipulate.  You would think, after almost a century of mind training and shielding techniques that he’d be immune to a basic parlour trick.”

“Oh I dunno,” she offered with a scratch at her hair.  “You made it look pretty easy.  I’ve seen some professionals in action and they don’t make it look half as easy as you did.”

“Professionals?”  He looked surprised.  “Who would want to do that professionally?  I didn’t even know that it _could_ be a chosen profession.”

“I can just see it now,” River teased lightly as she laid her arm across his shoulder and pointed upward as though to show him the flashing lights on a sign.  “Koschei the Hypnotist: The Master!”

He gave a hearty laugh at that.  “The Master.  Oh, I like the way that sounds.”


	38. Lunch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tentoo decides to be a good husband and packs lunch for Rose and River Song. Despite Eleven's objections, he thinks it's perfectly fine to take the lunches to Cadon to surpise the girls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. This chapter took on a life of it's own and has tickled my muse's fancy, who in turn has given me unquestionable orders to cater to her whim. Looks like I don't return to the originally scheduled programming for probably another two or three chapters... 
> 
> Rassilon just has to wait his turn...
> 
> This is just set up for the fun to follow, basically.

Eleven watched his brother with a raised brow of curiosity as Tentoo strode purposefully around the Great Hall of Lungbarrow and then disappeared briefly down a corridor with a towering wooden Grudge in tow behind him.

Oh those Grudges. The mammoth sentient statue servants of the residents of the great house made sure that the young Doctor was never completely at ease in the Lungbarrow home. Expressionless and dutiful, the children of the marriage between Satthaltrope and the family home were fearsome to his younger self. He wasn’t ever brave enough to wander the darkened hallways at the end of candleday lest a Grudge find him and unceremoniously haul him back to his quarters. Many a young Doctor’s nightmare held within it a wooden grudge. Bloody great menaces to youthful disobedience they were.

Still. It taught him how to win at a game of hide and go seek, which was a skill that boded him well in his adulthood. Especially in his travels when he found himself having to seek refuge from rampaging alien forces who’s ship he found himself wandering in.

He still didn’t know which brought him more fear, though, an entire rampaging alien army or a single Lungbarrow Grudge.

His eyes were still on the empty corridor and his thoughts on his youth when he felt the shift of the air around him as Amy took a seat in Tentoo’s vacant chair.

“So?”

“Yes, Pond?”

Amy huffed lightly. “So what’s _he_ up to then?”

The Doctor shrugged and looked back down and the half-finished … whatever it was … that he was tinkering with. “I have no idea.”

“Hmmmm,” she half sang - half hummed. “So the freaky mind meld twin thing is malfunctioning between you, then?”

“I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about.”

She licked at her lip to moisten a playfully cheeky smile. “Oh, you know. Twins. They have this way of just _knowing_ what each other are up to.”

“We aren’t _twins_ ,” he countered blandly. “He’s my meta crisis. More accurately the meta crisis to my Tenth self. The _twin thing_ ended when I regenerated.”

“I see,” she breathed with a smile. “Which means that you’re just at the _sibling rivalry_ stage of things.”

“You could say that.” He picked up his project and gave it a thoughtful appraisal in a rather blatant attempt at ignoring Amy’s presence. He just knew she was about ready to fire off those uneasy questions that would have him being evasive and her being pushy. He sighed. “Although what we have to rival against I am at a loss to…”

“Bullshit,” she interrupted with a laugh. “There is definite rivalry between you both for the affections of a pretty little blonde human girl.”

“Time Lady,” he corrected shortly. “Rose is more Gallifreyan than human.” He shrugged. “She’s not even human anymore.”

“Don’t tell _her_ that…”

“And our rivalry exists only in our ideas of how to best protect her and River Song while they’re at Cadon.” He dumped his project back onto the table and leaned across Amy to snatch up what Tentoo had been working on. “That fool is far too young, too brash and too lovestruck to think it all through properly.”

“Sure he is,” she challenged in a sing-song voice and a shake of her head. “If you say so – oh old and wise one who is never brash to act at all - then I’ll buy what you’re sellin’.”

“The purchase price is high,” he countered with a snort. “I hope you have adequate funds on your credit card.”

“Don’t worry about my credit.” She nudged him with her shoulder. “I’ll be using _yours_.”

“I thought that’s what you had a husband for.” He let his eyes shift to the camera and shook his head to see that RIVER Song and Rose had engaged the two young lads in a game of tag on the grounds of the campus. “At least they’re enjoying themselves,” he offered gently. “They don’t seem at all interested in actually following through with their assignment of seeking out information on my father.”

Amy tapped thoughtfully at her chin and slowly slid her eyes to the side to look past her cheek at him. “Could that be because that little fellow Theta had mentioned that his Dad was Ulysses?”

“You heard that,” he muttered with a grunt.

“Yes. I imagine that Ulysses isn’t a particularly common name on Gallifrey.”

“You’re correct. It isn’t.”

“As I thought. I also heard you and the other Doctor growl at the TARDISes because they didn’t land us at the correct time,” she offered with a shrug. She inhaled as she analysed the polish on her fingernails. “And with the evidence I have just presented, I believe it safe to assume that little Theta is…” She lifted the infliction of the voice on the final work to invite the Doctor to continue her thought. “Is…”

He played to her ploy. “Theta Sigma is the younger me. My original incarnation.”

Her eyes widened. “So is that your name, then?”

He shrugged. “One of them, yes.”

“But not your _name_ name?”

“No.” He leaned his cheek on his fist and focused on the feed of his younger self. “I picked this name shortly after joining the Academy. Didn’t see much point in using it, to be honest. None of my cousins would use anything other than _Wormhole_ or _Snail,_ which also meant that no one else would.” He swallowed a lump. “When I met Koschei, he suggested I find myself something non-Lungbarrow to separate me from them. And so Thete was created.”

“And who’s Koschei.”

He cleared his throat uncomfortable and winced as though in pain. “It’s probably for the best that you don’t ask, as I’d really prefer not to have to lie to you today.”

“Someone unsavoury? An ex-boyfriend, perhaps?” She squeaked. “Oh, he was your first sexual experimentation?” She bounced in her chair. “Oh, I know. He regenerated into a girl and was your first conquest?”

The Doctor’s jaw dropped. “Amy. _Really?_ ”

Amy rolled her eyes with forced dramatics and sighed heavily. “Well. When you don’t anti-up with the information that I require, then I will make up my own. And trust me when I say that after all you have shown me, my imagination is now a vast meadow of amazing wonder.”

“River Song is a very bad influence on you.”

“Melody is a good girl, thank you, Doctor.” She circled her finger over the image of Rose dodging a tag from Koschei, with her patent-pending tongue in teeth smile highlighting the feed.   “Rose, on the other hand. I dunno.”

“I’m more of the opinion that River gets it from her mother,” The Doctor huffed. “But if you insist on knowing. Koschei of Oakdown, cute and adorable though he may seem right now, will end up growing into a most unpleasant individual.”

“Enemy?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes.”

Amy began to huff out an ominous low laugh. “Oh. They’re both going to kill you when they find out.”

“I don’t doubt it. Which doesn’t bode to well for me,” he groused darkly. “I’m on my last regeneration. I won’t come out of it with a new face. Trenzalore, here I come.”

“Trenza- _what_?”

He shook his head and shrugged. “Oh, it’s nothing. Just part of a prophecy told to my father when I was a loomling.”

“A-a-and?”

“I have to expand on that now, don’t I?”

“Unless you want me to give you a nipple cripple…” She paused to eyeball his chest area, which was not currently covered by his jacket and wriggled her fingers. “Let me just stretch up my nipple crippling muscles.”

Tentoo reentered the great hall wearing a grin that was practically audible. “Go for the left one, Amy, it’s far more sensitive.”

“And how would you know that,” Eleven barked incredulously.

Tentoo shrugged. “Because I punched you there after the _Chuck_ remark.” He rubbed at the left side of his own chest. “And you remarked rather snidely that it was a low hit because you’ve been particularly sensitive in that area since you regenerated.” His brows rose thoughtfully. “Something about falling onto a burning strut shortly after the regeneration energies dissipated.”

“And so I get thrown under the bus by my younger brother,” Eleven groaned as he absently covered himself. “Yeah. Thanks for that.”

“You’re welcome,” Tentoo chirped as he set two brown paper bags on the table and slid his blazer off the back of Amy’s chair with a slight apology for having to lean over her.

Eleven eyeballed the bags and slowly drew his eyes up to his brother. “What’s that?”

“Lunch,” he answered with a grin as he pulled on his blazer and lazily fastened two of the four buttons.

“I’m not hungry.”

“It’s not for you,” he snipped back with a roll of his eyes. “It’s for the girls. For all our meticulous planning for today’s activities, we forgot one very important thing.” He pointed at the bags. “Nourishment and sustenance.”

“You’re not going to Cadon,” He warned coolly.

“Why not?” he queried innocently. “We sent them in there on a mission that – thanks to the TARDIS conspiracy – has been botched up on a galactic level. It is beyond inconsiderate of us not to provide them with the sustenance required to get them through the day. Especially with what’s to come? They’re both going to need to be adequately nourished in order to get through it.”

“I can blow so many holes in that pathetic attempt of an excuse that I can black hole you, Sandshoes.” He rubbed at his brows. “You just want to get in there and Lord yourself around Rose so that all the cadets who seem to be showing interest know she’s off the market.”

“Yep,” he admitted unashamedly with a wide and toothy grin. “I have a duty to stake claim on what’s mine.”

“You jealous fool.”

“You’re just jealous you didn’t think of it yourself.”

Eleven growled and shook his head. He knew full well that there would be no arguing with Tentoo on this. “Just don’t materialize too close to campus. The perception filter doesn’t exactly work here on Gallifrey, and you’d bring about far too much unnecessary attention if you land her on the grounds of Cadon.” He rubbed at the back of his neck. “We’ve already broken just about every rule in the texts of Rassilon just by being here out of our time and interfering in our own timeline.”

Tentoo let up a laugh. “I’d dare suggest that Rassilon would be pretty impressed that we are able to break the Time Lock on Kasterborous to even _be_ here out of our own time.”

“Would that be before or after he strung the both of us up in front of council and made an example of us?”

“Wouldn’t be the first time.”

“But it’d be the first time that the women we care for are involved.” He narrowed a glare at Tentoo. “Do you really want to put Rose up against Rassilon?”

Tentoo’s expression darkened with horrific speed. “Well, I don’t exactly have a choice in that, do I?” he growled. “Because of the whims of these two TARDIS machines it’s going to happen anyway and there’s nothing either of us can do about it without inviting the reapers to Gallifrey.” He stalked toward his machine. “And if it’s these machine’s folly that we’ve got to stand back and watch them go through this, then I’m damn well going to make sure that my _wife_ understands just how desperately my hearts beat for her before she has to face that challenge.” His look quickly fell to a friendly disposition as he cast a look toward Amy. A smile replaced his scowl as he held out his hand to her. “Wanna come with me?”

Her face brightened and a terrific grin spread across her face. “Oh. Yes. Please!” She rose from the chair and then let out a peep to find herself tugged back down by Eleven. “Doctor! What’re you doing?”

“You can’t go to Cadon,” he warned her before lifting his eyes to Tentoo. “She’s human, Brother. She’s not even supposed to be on Gallifrey. You can’t take her to Cadon – both of you will be arrested.”

“Yeah,” Tentoo drawled long. “I forgot about that. Sorry Amy.” He scratched at his sideburn and sighed apologetically. “We’re in a time where _lesser species_ weren’t permitted on Gallifrey. They are a racist bunch of fools in council.”

“More evolved my lilly white arse,” Amy groused with a petulant fold of her arms across her chest. “That statement alone makes the Time Lords a _lesser species_ than the human race.”

Tentoo pressed his lips tightly together as he nodded in agreement. “The rules did eventually change when Romana took office, Amy,” he assured gently. He then broke out into a proud smile. “Great Lady, Romana. I just knew she was destined for really good things. _Well_ , of course I did. I’m a brilliant judge of character, aren’t I? But Romana, oh yes. Brilliant from the moment we met. Brilliant. Wouldn’t have had her travel with me if I didn’t think so. Such a fantastic time we had together, me and Romana.” He took a breath and noted a tired look from Amy. He immediately cleared his throat and dropped his head. “Yes. But that’s not for several centuries yet, is it? I’m sorry, Amy. Very sorry.”

She flicked her hand at him. “Not your rule to apologise for.” She pointed at the monitor. “Just go, and make sure that you give us a decent show to make up for it.”

Tentoo swiped the two brown bags from the table and waggled his brows at her. “What genre are you feeling into today, then? Romance? Action? Comedy? Drama? I like to think that I’m versatile enough to give you one or all of them.”

“I’m sure you are,” she shot back with a chuckle. “Improvise for me, then. Just make sure it’s something I can loop on the TARDIS feeds for the next little while.”

“Ahh, yes,” he drawled. “Something embarrassing for the distinguished Lord of Time. I’ll see what I can do.”

 

~~oooOOOooo~~

 

It had been a long time since River Song had found the need to regress to being a child to squeal, hoot, holler, and race around a playground. She’d never exactly led the type of childhood that afforded her the joys of tearing around the grasses as though she had not a single care in the world except to tag the energetic little kid racing quickly away from her.

She wasn’t one to really give a care at what anyone else thought of her, and so the looks of curious disdain being levied in hers and Rose’s direction didn’t bother her too much. She could even ignore a random comment from a passing Cadet about the inappropriateness of the actions of her tackling one of the boys and declaring them to _tagged_.

Koschei wriggled out of her grasp with a barking laugh. “This means that I am the one to begin the pursuit, yes?”

“Sure is,” she panted in response. “And Theta has been the clever little cobblemouse that has so far evaded all efforts to tag him. Your mission – should you choose to accept it – is to hunt down that little Time Lord in training and slap a tag on him.”

He gave her a tight salute. “Mission accepted,” he declared as his expression fell into a dark grin. “Thete may think he can run, but he cannot hide from me. Koschei: the Master.”

“So, you’re keeping that name then?”

He winked. “It was bestowed upon me by a beautiful Lady of Time. How can I not?” He waved and tore off across the grass in search of his friend. “I will make you proud, my Lady, and bring home the prisoner.”

“Never take Prisoners,” She shot back with a grin. “Destroy him, Koschei!” She watched him take off and then let out a long moan of pure exhaustion as she dropped defeatedly down on to the grass beside where Rose lay sprawled out on her back. “Blimey, these kids have boundless energy.”

Rose didn’t move. She was too exhausted to even try. She attempted to wriggle her toes inside her boots, but felt beaten when she couldn’t will any energy even there. “And with the beforehand knowledge that any tiny versions the men we love and of ourselves we chose to create will be able to completely physically destroy us, it is a wonder that any of us ever decide to become parents at all.”

“Ahh,” River breathed. “Which is where the parents of Gallifrey got it right. Send the little spawns off to the Academy right when they hit that truly annoying and no longer incredibly cute age…”

“Oh they’re very cute,” Rose interrupted with a laugh. “Both of them.”

River leaned in close and lowered her voice. “Which makes it upsetting to know that they are both in training to be Time Lords – A.K.A. Boring twats who think they’re well above everyone else in the universe.”

“I heard that,” Tentoo called in a chipper tone of voice from behind the heads of the ladies as he strode purposefully toward them. “And it pains me that I find myself in wholehearted agreement with your assessment of the boring twats otherwise known as the Time Lords.”

Rose twisted her neck awkwardly to look up at him. She managed a smile, but little else. “Oh my Doctor, it’s you.”

“Yes,” River droned. “The _adult_ version.”

Rose dropped the twist of her neck to regard River with tired eyes. “Are we very sure that the term _adult_ can be applied him, or even the bow-tie version of him for that matter?”

“You bring up a very good point,” River growled in warning as the Doctor dropped down onto the grass between her and Rose. “Adults don’t tend to hide things like, oh, being dropped off in the wrong timeline thereby cocking up their well laid plans.”

“Oh, yeah they do,” Rose snorted. “Adults are the worst players of _Cover up the Screw up_.”

“So very true,” River mused. Her brow arched and she watched as the Doctor wriggled backward on his butt to lean his back up against the thick jiggered bark of a silver-leaved tree. “So are you here to pick us up and take us back to Lungbarrow?”

“Nope,” he chipped with a heavy pop on his P as he held up the pair of lunch bags. “I brought you lunch.”

“ _Lunch_?”

“Yep. Lunch for my favourite two Cadon Cadets.” He tossed a bag toward River Song. “Grabbed a pair of bananas from the TARDIS galley, and had one of the Grudges help me put together something from Lungbarrow that’s, _well_ , that’s a pretty typical lunch offering from Gallifrey.”

River Song eyeballed the contents of the bag with suspicion. “Dare I ask?”

“Probably best that you don’t,” he warned with a smile. “But trust me when I say that it’s very yummy. I grew up on this stuff.”

“That’s a bit of an ask, trusting _you_ ,” Rose challenged as she hauled herself up onto all fours and crawled across the grass toward her Doctor. “The Time Lord who assured us that his TARDIS landed us at just the right time for our visit to Cadon.”

“Well,” he sang on an extended note. “Although we don’t appear to have landed at the _expected_ date and time that we had _intended_ , it does look like we landed at a date and time that the TARDIS machines felt that we _needed_ to be.” He winced and cleared his throat with mild discomfort at the twin glares of challenge being levied in his direction. “Which, as Chinny and I have determined, is _exactly_ where we should be.”

“Sense, you make none,” Rose accused in a mutter as she peeled the skin from her banana and took a large bite. “Unless you agree with the TARDIS that it is wholly necessary for us meet and hang about with your littler self for a day.” She grinned around her mouthful of banana. “We’ve held just short of corrupting him and little Koschei completely.”

“I can see that.” He snapped his head forward and took a bite of her banana, smiling a toothy grin marred with banana flesh when she growled at him. “He’s quite taken with you, _Arkytior_.”

River Song sniffed with suspicion at the secondary offering from the bag that the Doctor had provided and let her eyes raise to his. “So that’s why you’re here then? So you can attach yourself to Rose and break the kid’s hearts because she’s a taken girl?”

“Nah,” he drawled. “Thete will know who I am the moment he sees me, pretty much. If anything I’ll give the kid some hope that he snags himself a prize winning wife in his future.”

Rose grinned. “So I’m a trophy wife?”

“You are,” he purred happily and nuzzled his nose into her hair. “ _My_ trophy.”

“One,” Rose muttered as she bit into the _Gallifrey_ sandwich and brushed the crumbs from the front of her tunic. “It’s only because I promised your mum that I would accept your attempts at being a romantic sap no matter how corny that I’m not thumping you right now for that.”

“Oh, but I made no such promise,” River warned with a wink. “I’m got for one on your behalf.”

“Two,” Rose continued with a wink toward River. “Aren’t you at risk of inviting the Reapers to Gallifrey by being here and bumping into your younger self?” She swallowed her mouthful and frowned as she sniffed at the remains of the sandwich. With a shrug she took another bite and spoke around her mouthful. “Three. You didn’t know who I was when you met me back and Henricks, so what’s the deal there? Four. Just what the hell is in this sandwich? It smells like hell but tastes like heaven.”

River looked intrigued. “It actually tastes good?”

“Very,” Rose purred as she took another bite. “Don’t let the smell of death dissuade you from munching. It’s actually really good.”

The Doctor grinned proudly. “Told you it was good. I’d even bet that little Theta Sigma has one of these in his bag.”

“Speaking of,” Rose muttered around another mouthful. “I asked you a series of questions that the universe is demanding answers for.”

“Well, I think it’s really only _you_ that wants answers…” He paused at her glare. He cleared his throat. “Yes. Well then. Let me see. One. Why would you have to make a promise like that to my mother? Has she been complaining about the lack of romance in her marriage again? Give us a break. We – as anal retentive and romance-retarded Lords of Time - do our best and if corny is all I’m capable of, then run with it. Just know that my intention is to sweep you off your feet and let you know that I believe you to be the absolute cornerstone of my very existence. Without you to hold my hand and question me, then I’d completely fall apart.”

“That’s much better,” Rose squeaked with a swallow of her mouthful.  

“Two,” he continued with a hard sigh. “Time and her potential contradictions. The simple answer would be for me to say that we’re on Gallifrey, a planet full of men who Lord over Time and her intricacies and therefore paradoxes aren’t as likely to happen around here because we have rules and plans in place to prevent it, but…” He caught the glares of the two women and sighed deeply. “But you’re both far too brilliant for me to use that lame old excuse. Truth is if we were to pull you out right now, then we’d cause a rather unpleasant paradox that I don’t believe we could counter with any ease. The potential ramifications could very well put Gallifrey into a situation far more volatile than the Time War…”

“Meaning,” River growled impatiently.

“Meaning that we’re very quickly heading toward a fixed point. Something that _has_ to occur for the universe to continue to spin and expand as it needs to.”

“And this _Fixed Point_ directly involves us,” Rose added with a huff. “Although just _how_ is curious.”

“It’s a temporally circular _thing_ ,” he muttered with a rolling wave of his hand. “Not to sound incredibly condescending, although I have to admit I’m being spectacularly condescending right now, but it’s much more complicated for me to explain to you both than you really expect it should be. So that said, we’re in a big great old loopy woopy timey wimey circular dance around a paradox, _an-n-n-d_. Well. We have to let you go through with it without our interferance. The events to come are set and _have_ to come to pass before we can continue on our own merry little ways.”

“Will me thumping you into your next incarnation affect that at all?” River threatened questioningly with a curl of her brow. “Is your face a _fixed point_?”

He fired back a cheeky grin of his own and adjusted his tie. “Actually, yes it is. This handsome face is vital to closing off the paradox.”

“Somehow, I doubt that.”

“Want to test out your theory, River? Have you ever seen a reaper? Ask Rose, they’re not awfully pleasant creatures to have to face.”

“I’m willing to take the risk.”

Rose lightly pressed her hand in between River’s breasts to halt her approach. “Let’s not. I want to hold off having him wear a bowtie for a little bit longer.” He looked up to the Doctor. “How about us knowing Theta and yet your ninth self not knowing me?”

The Doctor shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure to be honest. I guess either me or him … which is me, _really_ … forced a memory suppressant when all is said and done. Funny, though, once I saw you with my child self, I did find that I do remember today’s fun and games rather vividly.” He scratched at his sideburn. “I guess I had a trigger set to remind me when the moment was right.”

“So you forgot all of this until now?”

He shook his head. “No. Not all of it. I remembered bits and pieces and falling hopelessly in love with a beautiful woman named Arkytior who broke my hearts when she disappeared without a trace.” He smiled and drew his fingers across her cheek and along her jaw. “How incredibly lucky I am to have managed to find my Rose and have that opportunity to fall in love with her all over again.”

“Oh, Doctor,” Rose whimpered as she rose up onto her knees to press her lips to his in a tender kiss. One kiss turned into a series of kisses that very quickly deepened into something much more ostentatious, messy and loud. River Song tolerated it just long enough to watch the Doctor slide Rose up onto his knees and clutch her desperately against him. She shifted quickly onto her feet in escape when a needy moan escaped the Time Lord’s mouth.

“Okay. I’ll just leave you both to it then, shall I?”

Rose answered in a breathless pant something that may or may not have involved an appreciative word of thanks.

“Yeah, you’re welcome,” she muttered in response as she shielded her eyes against the sunlight with her forearm to look across the grasses at the entrance to the building. “You’ve got about twenty minutes before our next class, so if you’ve got to take this somewhere else, you’d better go do it quick.”

Koschei’s voice hollered urgently from her right, and River Song quickly spun sideways to investigate. The young dark-haired boy was in a mad dash sprint from behind the building. “My Lady, River Song. I was successful in tagging Thete as per your request.”

“Then why are you in such a panic,” she blustered out as he shot by her and tugged at her hand to drag him along with her.

“Because Thete has upped the anti and has weaponized,” he warned. “We must get you and Lady Arkytior to safety, for when Thete pulls out one of his experimental toys, there is the guarantee that the safety of all is affected.”

“Well, that much hasn’t changed,” she groused darkly with a look toward the pair still involved in a rather passionate embrace against the tree. “Oi! Rose! We are under warning about a tinkering Time Lord having a new toy.”

Rose immediately bust out laughing against the Doctor’s mouth. She twisted her neck to send a grin toward River. “What kind of toy?”

River’s smile was wide, and there was a glint in her eye, but she shrugged. “I have no idea, but knowing _him.”_

Rose jumped to her feet and brushed herself down. “Knowing _him_ , it’s going to be something impressive.” She wore a wide grin to see the youngster in a full run toward them, with his robe flapping about wildly behind him, and his hands held together in front of him around a small cylindrical item. “Oh. It isn’t…”

The Doctor grinned as he slid his hand into Rose’s. “It’s my first sonic Screwdriver,” he announced with a happy giggle. “And, oh, wasn’t it _something_?”

Rose tilted her head to look up at the proud expression on her Doctor’s face as Theta made a rapid approach. “You’ve had a Sonic Screwdriver since you were nine?”

“Well. Nope. First one was a miserable failure,” he admitted with a swallow and a frown of embarrassment. “It was, as Koschei may have alluded to, a weapon. Unintentional of course. Never did like things that shot … things … at … things… and it most certainly shot ... _things_. Dangerous. _Things_.  I didn't dare trying again until I was well into my Second incarnation.” His look of embarrassment morphed into an expression of thrilled excitement as Theta skidded to a halt in front of him. “Well hello there. I’m the Doctor.”

“And just who are you,” Theta’s small and threatening voice growled toward the Doctor. His eyes fell to their joined hands. “And why are you connecting with Arkytior?”

The Doctor looked momentarily shocked by the question. He looked down at where he and Rose were joined and lowered his voice in tone and pitch. “I just told you who I am. I’m the…”

“Thete?”

All eyes shifted to Koschei, who looked upon the Doctor with an expression of horrified shock.

“Oh Thete,” he managed worriedly. “What have you done?”

Theta slowly slid a confused look toward his friend. “I haven’t done anything, Koschei. Why?”

“I’m not talking to you, Thete,” Koschei responded flatly. He lifted his chin to the Doctor. “I’m asking him.”

“Hello Koschei,” the Doctor muttered quietly. “It’s been a while.”


	39. Flubble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once upon a time they were best friends. The Doctor tries hard to remember that when he meets the Master when he was simply Koschei.

_Previously on Journey:_

_“Oh Thete,” he managed worriedly. “What have you done?”_

_Theta slowly slid a confused look toward his friend. “I haven’t done anything, Koschei. Why?”_

_“I’m not talking to you, Thete,” Koschei responded flatly. He lifted his chin to the Doctor. “I’m asking him.”_

_“Hello Koschei,” the Doctor muttered quietly. “It’s been a while.”_

 

 

“How many laws have you broken by being here,” Koschei asked with equal quietness. “And why are you here?”

“Piloting error,” the Doctor answered quickly. “Purely unintentional. My TARDIS seems to have a faulty navigation circuit, so I’m sending her into the repair docks for healing.” He winced in thought as he looked up at the sky. “We _were_ expecting to land on Gallifrey from our honeymoon holiday in Borrav, _oh_ , about 850 years from now, but the TARDIS malfunctioned and here we are.” He dropped his eyes and shrugged. “My beautiful wife and Sister in Law really wanted to check out my old Alma Mater while we’re stranded here, so with nothing better to do we did a little jiggery pokey with some records, and let them have their moment.”

Koschei ran his hands over his hair and shook his head. “This is bad, Thete. Very bad.”

The Doctor mirrored his childhood friend’s actions by running his free hand over his spiked hair. “To save confusion, Koschei, you might want to call me _Doctor_.”

“Doctor?”

“As in _The_ Doctor,” he replied with obvious unease. “I know you’ve never heard that name, but in _our_ time, it’s a well-known name across the universe.”

“It’ll be a well-known name in _this_ time if council finds out,” Koschei warned darkly. “And if your dad finds out, well. You and I both know what he’ll have to say about this.”

“Simple solution,” he mumbled, instantly regressing to his childhood persona in the presence of his old friend. “Don’t tell him.”

“Are you still an awful liar?”

River Song let up a loud and hacking laugh at the question. She even dramatically wiped at her eyes as she flopped against Rose’s shoulder. “Oh, for the myriad of lies he sprouts out in the course of a regular day, he still does it horrendously, wouldn’t you say, Rose?”

“Oh yes.”

“River, Rose, please,” he choked out. “This’s between me and him, okay?”

“Oh, it’s between all of us now, Doctor,” River snapped back. “Or is it?” She lifted her brows high in thought and looked toward Rose. “If we leave him to it and take control of his TARDIS, then we don’t have to partake in the wrath of the Time Lord Council.”

“I kind of think as his wife that I have to,” Rose offered with a shrug.

“Not necessarily.   You shouldn’t have to be guilty by default just because his piloting skills leave a lot to be desired.” She lifted a look of annoyance to the Doctor. “I’m sure that _my_ Doctor would be willing to let you travel with him again. Who knows, maybe we can find number Ten again and you two can hook up and…”

“And cause a paradox effect which will wipe you, Amy and Rory from his timeline,” the Doctor snapped. “Is that what you want, River, to sacrifice your happiness with Chinny?”

River Song snorted. “I’m somewhat impressed that you believe I’d actually halfway entertain that notion. Or that you’d even consider letting it happen.”

“If it keeps Rose safe,” The Doctor growled. “I’ll let happen what needs to happen, no matter how much it kills me to do it.”

“Yeah, but I won’t,” Rose snarled as she tugged on his hand to draw him nose to nose with her. “You hear me, Doctor. In it together. No matter what. You ‘n me. Forever, remember that.”

Her grinned at her defiance and steely resolve. His voice came out as a low growl of possession. “By Rassilon, Rose, I’m glad I met you.”

“And?” she pressed.

“And I love you.” He snatched a chaste and hard kiss from her mouth. “For all eternity.”

Rose growled against his mouth and poked her finger into his chest. “And don’t you forget it, Time Boy. _Ever_.”

“While I admire your complete and utter devotion to one other,” Koschei snarled.   “I have to ask you three if you have any idea at all just kind of trouble you will be in if anyone else finds out who you are and that you’re here out of your time.” He frowned and shook his head. “Never mind my pathetic excuse for a cousin sensing it and making threats, what about your cousins, Thete? How many kinds of pleasure do you think they will they get out of this? They will be the first ones in line to see you strung up and stripped of your regenerations and title.”

“Wow,” Rose muttered with a kick in the dirt. “ _Master_ of Drama you are.”

“And the Lady of the blasé you are,” he fired back shortly. He lifted his eyes to the Doctor. “Have you not learned anything from me and from our time here at Cadon, Thete?”

The Doctor’s expression darkened. “Oh,” he growled. “I learned from you, Koschei. I learned far more than I ever wanted to.”

“But, obviously not what you _needed_ to learn,” he challenged.

“Look, Koschei,” the Doctor said with a much more levelled voice. “We’re here in this time because we have to be. We’re facing a circular paradox, and us not being right here and right now even at the risk of discovery by the council will fracture the time continuum…”

“What could possibly happen today that will set in motion events that will ripple throughout the universe, Thete?”

“You’ll just have to wait and see, won’t you,” the Doctor answered flatly.

“You don’t even know, do you?”

“I know enough.”

Koschei folded his arms across his chest and curled an annoyed lip. “And how do you know this?”

“Because I’ve completed my studies here at Cadon. I graduated eight centuries ago.” He growled quietly through gritted teeth. “I can _feel_ time. Do you understand that? I _know_ what a fixed point feels like. I can _feel_ and _see_ when the timelines are distorting and ready to fracture. It’s been my job for seven hundred years to fix those breaking points and stop universes from colliding and fracturing against each other.” He stooped lightly to glare into Koschei’s face. “And there have been Lords who want to destroy Time and all of her guardians. Lords I trusted with my lives; that broke my hearts with their betrayals. You can threaten me with the wrath of council all you want. They don’t scare me. They haven’t scared me in centuries.” HE sniffed. “Not when you’ve seen what I’ve seen.”

Rose, concerned that the Doctor was about to outline just _what_ he’d seen during his centuries of travel lightly stroked at his chest in an attempt to calm him. “Doctor, please. He’s just a kid, remember. Don’t put that on him.”

The Doctor hauled her up tightly against his chest and dropped his nose into her hair to look across her head into the distance. His voice broke as he quietly spoke into her hair. “I can’t help it, Rose?”

Koschei looked quite taken back by that. His demeanour calmed even as his eyes widened to the Doctor’s words. “Promise me, Thete,” he begged. “Swear to me on Lungbarrow’s honour that I am not one of the Lords who have let you down.”

The Doctor’s face fell into an unreadable expression as his eyes shifted to his childhood friend.

“I am your best friend,” Koschei assured firmly with a hard slap against his heart. “You are my brother. Forget the loom, and forget the house whose loom was at its heart. We are brothers here at Cadon and along all of the Cadonflood River. We protect each other now, in this regeneration, in our next, and for all of Time.” He looked pleadingly toward the Doctor. “I’m your best friend.”

“You are,” the Doctor whispered hoarsely against Rose’s hair.

“We have each other,” Koschei implored. “We take care of each other.”

“We do.”

“And then you will swear to me an oath upon Rassilon’s tomb that you being here is necessary to prevent a paradox?”

The Doctor nodded.

“Then how do I help?”

“You can’t,” he croaked in response.

“I think he’s beyond help,” River Song moaned softly as she reached forward to touch at Theta’s arm. The young Doctor to be had been quiet throughout the exchange between his adult self and Koschei – which was very unlike any of the Doctor’s incarnations she’d ever met. She rubbed affectionately at his arm. “You okay, little Lord?”

Theta nodded slowly. “So. He’s me,” he stated flatly. “This skinny Time Lord in a stripey suit with wild hair and dirty shoes is who I’m going to end up being one day.”

River noted his amusement and nodded. “You go through a regeneration or two or ten first, but yes. This is you.”

He had wide eyes and a wider smile as he began to chuckle lightly. “That’s just sensational!” He turned toward Koschei and widened his grin. “Well. It looks like you can still keep me on my toes even as we enter into our second millennia, Koschei.” He tipped two fingers to his temple in a lazy salute toward his friend. “Best friends till old age, I’d guess.”

“As it should be,” Koschei announced with pride. “And look, Thete.” He nudged him with his shoulder. “You married your first crush, too.”

“Actually, I’m his fourth wife,” Rose said in a conspiratorial tone voice as she held up four fingers. “Number four.”

“Rose!” River Song yelped. “Spoilers!”

“Four wives,” Koschei breathed out in awe. He then laughed and slapped his best friend’s shoulder. “Well done, Theta Sigma, you rampaging Flubble.”

Theta’s eyes widened. “Oh and speaking of.” He looked to his friend in panic. “I haven’t let her out yet. I was supposed to go back to the dorms during break to let her out. She’s going to soil everywhere.” He raked both hands through his hair. “They’ll find her and take her away from me if we don’t go back now and let her out.”

“Your what and who,” Rose queried with high brows.

“Oh,” Theta answered with a wave of his hand. “My pet Flubble.”

“You have a pet?”

He nodded. “Yes. I found her stranded in the Cadonflood River. I took care of her and now she lives under my bed.”

“Where all good monsters live,” River intoned blandly. “Tell me. How many legs does your pet have?”

Theta angled his head to one side and frowned in confusion. “It’s a _Flubble_ ,” he stated in an almost-patronizing manner. “They all have six legs.” He held his hands about a foot apart. “And are about this big.”

“Oh,” she sang in response with a wide-eyed look toward Rose to make sure she had the same look of recognition on her face. “A _Flubble_. Yes. Sorry. Of course. I thought you said something else.” She watched him shake his head and wander toward his bag, which was beside a tree, and then lifted her gaze to the Doctor. She made sure to exaggerate every movement of her mouth around her letters so that the Doctor would be able to understand her mouthed question quite clearly. “ _What is a Flubble?_ ”

“ _Think Koala_ ,” he mouthed in response. “ _With six legs_.”

“Oh,” she huffed loudly in reply. “Because that isn’t the most horrifying image at all. Has it got gigantic teeth as well?”

Theta spun toward her as he hauled his bag onto his shoulder. “What’s that, River?”

“Oh, nothing, Kiddo,” she called with a shrug. “Nothing at all. Everything on this planet is cute and cuddly and not at all terrifying.”

He frowned. “Well that is a random comment to make.” With a shrug he slid a glance to his friend. “Koschei, I have to go before my she releases all over the floor and my father finds out I’ve broken the rules – again – of not having pets in our rooms.” He slouched and looked up to the heavens. “The great hardass taskmaster has been planning his next punishment for me, I just know he has.”

“Sometimes, Thete,” Koschei said with a sly grin. “I think your dad just lays in wait for you to get in trouble. He gets a thrill out of it, I’m sure.”

“Well, then. It’s lucky for him that I’m friends with you, isn’t it? Every day it’s a new set of trouble I find myself in.”

“Oh, but this one is all on you, Thete.”

“Don’t remind me.” He bowed politely to the girls. “River Song, My beautiful Arkytior. I shall leave you in the somewhat troublesome hands of my best friend Koschei and offer my apologies for having to go clean up the mess of my pet.”  

“Oh, that’s disappointing,” Rose cooed. “Who’s hand will I hold to take me to my next class?”

Theta grinned widely. “I’ll meet you in the hallway five minutes before the lecture begins. I can take your hand then … if you want.”

“Oh yes,” she answered with a smile that quickly fell into a stunned gasp as a rolling, echoing thunder exploded above their heads. The pressure of the sound forced her breath back down into her throat, and Rose found herself struggling to exhale. She felt a hard thump of a palm between her shoulder blades and thanked River Song with a nod as she raised her head to the sky.

“My, if that wasn’t the most unusual clap of thunder I’ve ever heard,” Koschei mused quietly to himself. “There aren’t any clouds in the sky to suggest that a storm is on approach.”

“No,” the Doctor breathed as he watched the cloudless sky above him. His head angled curiously to one side as he noted the smallest of distortions in the otherwise flawlessly crimson sky. “But I dare say that might be inviting one.”

“What do you think, Doctor,” Rose breathed softly.

“I think we should probably just ignore it,” he said slowly. “Could be nothing. Could be something. If it’s something, then that something would not be something we would want to get involved in.”

“You’re right, Doctor. It could be something very, very dangerous,” Rose added gently with a voice full of caution. “Something that we absolutely should not – under any circumstances - get ourselves involved in.”

“Not at all, Rose,” he agreed. “Not. At. All.”

“Oh who are you both kidding,” River Song moaned with a single slap that met with both of their arms. “Since when have either of you taken heed of your own warnings?”

Both Rose and the Doctor grinned at each other, then turned toward River Song. It was the Doctor who let out a click sound through his teeth and gave River a wink. “Wanna go check it out?”

“Do Time Lords have rods up their arse?”

“I hardly see the need for such a com … oh,” he breathed. He then grinned. “Yes. Indeed. They do.” His grin widened and he rocked back onto his heel to prepare to launch into a run. “Well, then, my faithful companions. Let’s investigate the cause of the gigantic belch from the sky, shall we? To the TARDIS. Allons-y!”

The trio rocked forward to begin their run toward TARDIS only to find their path’s blocked by a pair of young Cadon cadets. Both Theta and Koschei held identical positions in front of River, Rose and the Doctor. Their stance was less child like and more appropriate to an adult readying to lay down a disciplinary measure upon a petulant and disobedient child.

“And just where do you think you’re going,” Koschei asked flatly. “No cadet is permitted to leave Academy grounds without escort or without permission from the office.”

“Well,” the Doctor began with in a sing-song voice. “See. There’s this _thing_ that the girls and I want to take a look into. An atmospheric disturbance…”

“A crack of thunder,” Theta challenged.

“Well yes,” the Doctor replied. “Exactly. Not quite the right time of the celestial cycle for a storm, now, is it?”

“Not exactly.”

“And, as I am loathe to begin any study on any kind of disturbance without my faithful companions at my side – moreso because they’d both kill me than because I can’t function without them,” he yelped at Rose’s slap on his arm. “Which is a much more accurate excuse I suppose.”

“If you take _them_ ,” Koschei warned. “You take us.”

The Doctor frowned. “What? No!”

“Please take us,” Theta begged. “Give me something other than study for once.” He clutched at River’s tunic and levelled his absolute best attempt at sad, beaten, cold, hungry and lonely puppy dog stare. “Give me a small chance at life, my Lady.”

River gasped. “It’s the _eyes_ , Rose. He’s giving me the _look_.”

“Fight it, River.”

“I can’t.”

Koschei chewed at his tongue a moment, and then grinned with a single waggle of his brow. “What if I told you that it’s been rumoured that a Dyrroes craft has been tracked breaking through the vortex and into Kasterborous.”

The Doctor’s brow rose hish on his forehead. “Then I would tell you that you shouldn’t be skulking around the war rooms and council chambers at Cadon.”

“And if I stated that you should know better than to say that to me with a straight face?”

“How much do you know about this supposed _rumour_?”

“Enough to be able to have a TT Capsule lock onto the signal and hone in on the craft.” He licked at his lip and wagged his brows again. “So what do you say, Thete?”

The Doctor considered it for a moment. Despite the heated warning from Lungbarrow to not even entertain such a notion, he grinned and gave the two lads a nod. With a shrug ho flicked his head in the direction of the hidden TARDIS. “Yeah, why not. The more the merrier, I always say.”

“No,” Rose corrected. “You always say: My TARDIS, my Rules.”

“Oh close enough.” He stopped long enough to pass a look from River to Rose to Thete and then to Koschei. “Well,” he queried with a huff. “What are we waiting for, then? We have a potential threat to Gallifrey’s safety. Standing around here isn’t going to do much to stop it, now, is it? As I said earlier: To the TARDIS. Allons-y!.”

 


	40. TARDIS Tantrum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The TARDIS isn't so happy that the Doctor has decided to let the little ones take flight with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanna put out there that I am not a tech genius by any standards. I merely find a bunch of words that sound really cool together and run with that. Okay? Lots of techy sounding words all jumbled together.

The beautiful faded blue Police Box waited silently underneath a tree surrounded by aromatic schlenk blossoms only a short distance from the Cadon Campus grounds. She watched her pilot and wolf approach with quiet excitement and a dull pulse of her light. She’d heard the thunderous crash above her only moments ago. She knew it would only be a matter of time before her family bounded into her command deck to set them off on a mission of discovery and thrill. And, _oh_ , how eager she was to take flight through the vortex and into the stars to join her pilot on his exciting adventures. Her excitement was such that even her doors began to rattle in anticipation…

…That was, until she saw who was tagging along.

Excitement turned quickly to fear and dread to see the Doctor’s younger self and the boy who would grow to become pure evil.

No. She couldn’t allow them to board her. Not at all. Her pilot had another thing coming if he thought for a second that it was a good idea to allow the children to enter her console room and take flight before their time.

…She latched her doors closed tight and thrummed an angry pulse of her light.

The Doctor slowed in his jog when he saw the obvious upset of his ship. He held out his hand to stop the approach of River Song and Rose, who were only steps behind him. “Hold on, girls.”

Rose collided gently with his forearm and brought her hands up to hold it as she slowed and stopped with his guidance. “What’s wrong?”

He clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Just wait here a moment,” he warned lightly with a slight twist in his trunk to look back at the quartet behind him. “Looks like I need to have a word with the old girl before we head in.”

Rose angled her head to one side and squinted as though to focus more tightly on the ship’s doors. “Is everything okay?”

“I’m about to find out.” He thrust his hands into his trouser pockets and stopped just short of skipping in his attempt to sidle up to the TARDIS. “Hello, beautiful. Everything okay?”

Koschei peered at the Doctor’s movements with curiosity. “What’s going on?”

River chuckled into her hand as the Doctor used his key to unlock the door, but was unsuccessful in opening it. “Oh, it looks like a TARDIS tantrum might be in effect.”

“A TARDIS _what_?” He looked at Theta. “What is a TARDIS?”

Rose scruffed at his hair – not to actually _scruff_ it, but because she just wanted to lean her hand on something. “It’s what you call a TT Capsule, Koschei. The Doctor calls his _TARDIS_ – Time and Relative Dimension in Space.”

“I see,” Koschei muttered. “And it throws tantrums?”

Rose chuckled. “Oh yes, she’s certainly been known to.” She frowned. “Well. Her sister any way. This TARDIS is only a baby, Block transfer was only a week ago. Of course, considering she was grown from a cutting off the original ship, I would hazard a guess that she’s going to have a similar temperament.”

“It looks to be a Type 40,” Theta noted quietly. “With modifications. Very nice.” He turned to Rose. “Type 40A, perhaps?”

“I have no idea,” she admitted. “TARDIS and I actually worked together to grow her. I suspect that means she’s one of a kind.”

Both Theta and Koschei’s eyes widened in surprise. Theta voiced his awe. “You _grew_ her by yourself, Arkytior?”

She nodded and then shook her head, and then nodded again. “Well, yes. I did. But she helped me. She’s my clever girl.”

“And you’re mine,” Theta gasped with a smile. “I don’t know why I waited so long to make you mine, though.”

“Because it wasn’t until you were in your ninth incarnation that we actually met,” she admitted distractedly as she watched the Doctor argue with the ship.

Theta looked incredibly disappointed by that. “Oh. We didn’t meet here at Cadon? You didn’t study here at all?”

Rose snorted. “I didn’t even finish high school,” she admitted, still distracted by the Doctor and the TARDIS. “I certainly wasn’t smart enough to join any academies.” She let out a breath. “We met on Earth. He blew up my workplace, took my hand and said _run_. Well, more accurately, he took my hand, told me to run, and then blew up the building I worked in. We’ve been running together ever since. Mostly, anyway.”

“You’re from Earth,” Koschei queried quietly. He then shook his head. “No, but you’re Time Lord, so you can’t be Earth-loomed. Were you in exile? I know that the Council like to send renegade Lords to Earth as punishment. Or. Or, were you vacationing there?”

She gave a breathy laugh. “Oh. That’s a long story.”

Koschei nodded, he then grinned and looked toward Theta. “I think what’s most important to take from that is that you, _Thete_ , you blew up an entire building.” He held up his forearm, which Theta quickly bumped with his own. “Nicely done.”

Theta looked up at Rose with a glint in his eye. “Was it worth it? Blowing up the building, I mean?”

Rose shrugged. “Never really did find out. He was after the Nestine Consciousness at the time…”

“Nasty species,” Koschei growled with a slap of his tongue on the roof of his mouth in distaste. “Blowing them up is too good for them.”

“He got them eventually,” Rose said proudly. “After I saved his big eared, leather and denim self from being plasticked.”

“Big ears, leather and denim,” Theta queried weakly as he tugged his ears in worry. “Really?”

“Sexier than it sounds, little man.”

“I would hope so.” He grinned. “So you saved me and history was made, yeah?”

She nodded with a reflective smile. “Oh _well_. He asked me to travel with him and I said no, so he left.”

“What?!”

“But in a few seconds he came back and asked me again.” She gave him a wink. “I couldn’t say no the second time.” She then chuckled. “For our first date he took me to watch the destruction of Earth. After we had to run from evil doers and I nearly got fried once or twice – and I swear that the Doctor was flirting with a tree - I watched my planet explode.”

“Then we had chips,” the Doctor sang with a grin as he returned to the group and took her hand in his. “Jabe was a sentient member of the Forest of the Cheem. She was a bipedal arboreal, not a tree.”

“Okay, she was a tree that walked and talked,” Rose challenged. “And that does not negate the fact that you flirted with her.”

“She fancied me,” he declared impatiently with a flick of his arms. “What was I supposed to do: Play the blind ignorant fool and just Ignore her completely?”

“Didn’t seem to bother you to play _that_ role with me in the first few months we travelled together,” she muttered under her breath.

“You had a boyfriend,” he growled back. “And I’m not one for sharing.”

“Oh, and Reinette didn’t?” She folded her arms across her chest. “Her being the unofficial wife to the King of France didn’t stop you from snogging with her.”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Are we really going to do this? Right here and now in front of the kids?”

“Oh don’t stop on our account,” Koschei said with a chuckle. “Thete’s taking notes right now to make sure he doesn’t make the same mistakes you did…”

“Indeed I am,” Theta chuckled. “How does one spell _Reinette_? I expect a snog is an intimate thing, yes?”

“Lips against lips, tongue in mouth,” Rose snarled. “Yes. Very intimate.”

“Very unsanitary,” Theta muttered with a disgusted look. “Quite a way to pass along dangerous antibodies and illness.”

“Isn’t it just,” Rose agreed with a glare at the Doctor. “Especially in a time where a bath every seven days was considered the very edge of hygienic practices.”

He rewarded her with a glare for her comment, but said nothing.

“Time for a change in topic.” Rose shrugged and nodded up to the TARDIS. “So. Is there a problem with Bertie over there.”

He sheepishly rubbed at the back of his head, quite happy to have moved topics. “Yeah. Slightly. And if she hears you call her _Bertie_ we might have even bigger problems.”

“What’s up?”

The Doctor let out a displeased breath. “It would seem that the TARDIS is arguing with me on having the two youngsters join us. Something about fracturing the Time Lines and causing irreparable damage to the space time continuum.” He exhaled roughly. “She is an incredible drama queen that girl.” He glared at her and raised his voice. “Yes. I’m talking about you – you sour puss killjoy.” He pointed at it. “It’s not like we haven’t had multiple incidences of me being with multiple versions of myself. And _look!_ The worlds and universes still exist do they not?” He growled. “We had five of me at one time, remember? Oh no, you wouldn’t. That’s because I was with your much more agreeable and brilliant sister. That’s right, I said it. Your sister is much more adventurous than you will ever be.”

Koschei leaned in to Theta. “Is he _really_ talking to the TT Capsule as though it can really hear him?”

“I guess I get certifiably insane when I get older.”

“It would appear so.”

“I can hear you,” The Doctor growled. “And yes I do talk to her. She has sentience well over and above acceptable levels. Complain complain complain. Opinionated and then some. You know, a T51 is less of a spoiled brat than you are.”

Rose breathed out an apologetic breath. “Doctor. Let me talk to her, okay? Maybe her mum can talk some sense into her.” She gave him an innocent and pleading look. “May I?”

“Go right ahead. If you think you will have better luck with her, have at it.” He looked down at the boys. “If not, then I’m sorry. TARDIS does have final say on who she carries on board with her. And she can get pretty testy when I force the issue.” He rubbed at the back of his neck. “Many bumps and bruises have been levied my way when she gets her tantrum on.”

Koschei grinned. “Looks like TT Capsule flight training might be fun after all.”

“Not really,” he admitted. “The training capsules really don’t have any kick or bite to them. It’s a wonder the Time Lords even know how to control their ships with inadequate training and how temperamental they can be.” He thrust his hands into his trouser pockets and rolled back onto his heels. “Or am I just so incredibly lucky that my ship developed a mind and personality all of her own?”

River Song Shook her head with a smile as she edged around the Doctor to follow Rose toward the Time Ship. “I’ll just go tag up with Rose. Perhaps if we all put our female minds together we can think of something.”

“Go right ahead,” he called. “I’ll expect that all three of you will group together and gang up against us.” He looked down to the two boys and shrugged as he exhaled a long suffering sigh. “of all your wives and of all the women who find a place in your hearts through all our centuries of travel, none will test you like TARDIS and Rose.”

“Is it worth it, though,” Theta questioned softly.

The Doctor grinned widely. “Oh. You have no idea how _worth it_ it is.” The measure of his grin grew wider as Rose sashayed back across the gravel toward him with a cheeky smile on her face. “Well?”

“She’s okay now,” Rose announced with a wink. “We’re going to have no issues with her at all while we have the lads on board.”

The doctor’s jaw dropped in complete shock. “What?”

She curled around the Doctor to wink at the two young boys. “Well come on, what’re you waiting for? Let’s get on board our beautiful ship and do some _investigating_ over the skies of Gallifrey.” She laughed as the pair of them immediately ran past her to fight their way through the doors and into the ship. “I remember running like that when you told me she was a time machine,” she mused quietly as felt his chest press up against her back, his hands slid around her waist and his chin drop to her shoulder.

“You _still_ run like that through her doors.”

“I always will.” She clutched at his hands covering her belly and walked them both forward toward the TARDIS. “As long as you’re there with me.”

“Always,” he breathed in promise as he followed her lead toward the ship. “So how did you convince her to play nice? She was pretty adamant when she told me in no uncertain terms that I was an idiot for even considering it.”

“Easy peasy,” she breezed as she broke free of his hold and spun to walk backwards through the door. “I threatened to ground her if she didn’t behave.”

His brows shot high as his hands found their way into his trouser pockets. “ _Ground_ her?”

“We have access to a secondary TARDIS,” she replied with a somewhat indignant shrug. “And if we _really_ got hard up, we could always sneak into the Docks to grab ourselves another one.”

The Doctor rattled a low laugh. “Oh. That’s sneaky.”

“No,” she corrected. “That’s parenting. And our girl here wants to act like a belligerent toddler, then I will treat her like one.” She rolled her eyes and offered the ship a look of challenge. “You’ve met my mother. She showed me how not to take guff from a disobedient child. And if you think that my threats are bad, oh _girl_ , you wait until you see the level of _guilt_ I can bring down on you.” She touched the tip of her tongue to her lip and eyed the Time Rotor column. “I’ve got little cousins. I’m well trained in the art of kicking little people’s butts to make them behave.”

The Doctor’s face fell into an expression of complete and utter adoration. “Be the mother to my loomling, Rose,” he pleaded, completely ignoring the varying looks of surprise from the other travellers. “Let’s you and me create the newest Lungbarrow child.”

“We’re at quota, Doctor _,_ ” Theta advised carefully. “And I don’t anticipate any death days anytime soon.” He pursed his lips to consider that. “But then again. I don’t really know how it is in your time, so you can best ignore me. It could be that the quota has been increased, or that there have been deathdays in the house that give way for new looms. But …”

“Thete..”

“If you did, maybe, want to loom me a cousin right now that doesn’t actually hate me, that’d be great. Oh hold on. The loomling would be my _child_.” He raised his eyes. “But _yours_ , really, but also mine by default, so he or she would have to like me, yeah? That could work. Quences is getting on in years, he’s on his thirteenth right now…”

“Thete…”

“So that makes way for preparations at least for a new addition to Lungbarrow.” He rolled his eyes at himself. “Oh, but what am I saying. It’s not like you will leave the loomling for me to look after, then, will you? Of course not. You’ll take him or her with you…”

“Theta Sigma will you stop,” Koschei demanded finally. “I swear upon the seal of Rassilon that we are going to put an end to this relentless babbling you get yourself onto.”

“I don’t _babble_ ” Theta replied indignantly. “I merely state an expanded idea that ensures that all lines within the communication are adequately covered so as to reduce any misconstrued …”

“And even when denying the babble, he babbles,” Koschei muttered with a roll of his eyes.

Rose was fast to rush to give Theta a firm side hug that was tight enough for the young lad to gasp. “Oh, if what we could loom would be even half as cute as him. Yes, Doctor. Absolutely yes.”

“Yeah, but just remember, Rose,” River warned with a wink from across the console. “Little Theta turns into _him_.” She pointed at the Doctor with a smile. “So you might want to think it over a little bit longer.”

The Doctor clapped his hands. “Right then. Time for a change in subject. Now that the TARDIS and my lovely wife have come to an agreement about our flight plans, let’s head off, shall we?”

River checked at her watch. “Any chance you think we’ll be done in ten minutes? Got a class to attend, remember.”

The Doctor winked. He petted the console as he twisted a dial and then flipped up a lever. “Time Machine, remember?”

“Time retarded Time Lord, remember.”

“Oh,” he laughed along a deep throated chuckle. “Not nice.”

Koschei snapped his fingers toward Theta to invite him to join him up on the jump seat. “So this is what you have to look forward to,” he joked as the youngster pulled himself up on the seat. “Travelling with two Time Ladies who are more apt to tease you than to respect you?”

“I think, Kochei, that we misread the intention of the women and their playfulness with their Time Lord.” He looked up to where his much older self was darting around the console, pulling at levers and twisting dials as he laughed with a wide open smile and a glint in his eye at both women playfully teasing him about his _piloting skills_. “Look at him. He’s embracing the taunts and jibes and is loving every second of it.” He grinned a wide smile of his own. “He makes piloting a TT Capsule look _fun_.”

Koschei watched for a moment with a frown of concentration. “Fun, perhaps.” He tilted his head. “Efficient, not so much.”

Theta chuckled and then peeped out a squeak of fright as he and Koschei were thrown forward off the jumpseat as the TARDIS appeared to land. Hard. Very hard.

“And not very gently, either,” he moaned as he rubbed at his backside. Theta’s breath caught as he heard the howling laughter of the three adults on the command deck. Each one of them were flat on their backs on the rough metal grating, laughing with absolute delight about having been thrown to the floor.

“How very odd,” he muttered to himself.

~~oooOOOooo~~

 

The Doctor’s amusement had vanished quite spectacularly once the quintet had exited the TARDIS only to find themselves inside a darkened corridor of an alien craft. He begged quiet of his companions as he took a moment to survey the immediate area in an attempt to determine just which part of the ship they had manages to materialize in.

He knew beyond all doubt that River Song held within her waistband at least one weapon – he suspected at least another two firearms beyond the one holstered at her hip. Typically, this would unnerve him somewhat – with his well-known dislike of firearms and all that – but today he found himself thankful for the fact that she was armed. He didn’t typically have children on board his TARDIS. He was less likely to allow youngsters to wander through a potentially hostile craft at his side. Actually, there was no _likelihood_ in it. He was vehemently against children travelling via TARDIS into hostile territory.

…So what was he thinking allowing the child versions of himself and his former best friend to come along on this merry little jaunt through the dangerous underbelly of a hostile craft?

What was he thinking? Easy. _Adventure._ Academy life for the young cadet was incredibly mundane and boring. He was only trying to give the two young lads a taste at the glory that awaited them once they’d completed their studies and left the academy. Was it showing off? Probably. But he also just wanted to give the two kids an amazing adventure together before they were torn apart by hate, fear, pain and loathing.

How could he say no?

Especially to himself…

He inhaled a deep and cleansing breath as he let his eyes swing toward River Song. “How many,” he queried quietly. “And are they all chambered with full magazines?”

“Three, Doctor,” she breathed carefully. “And yes. Full with an extra clip a piece.”

“Good. That’s … good.”

“Why,” she muttered before exhaling a long breath. She touched her fingers to each of her weapons as though ensuring their place at her hip. “You expecting trouble?”

“I don’t have to _expect_ it,” he breathed as he cautiously looked around them. “It pretty much tends to just find me.”   

“Goes without saying, I suppose.”

“I want you to protect the kids. Do what you can to keep the two of them safe.”

River Song reached behind herself and pulled the weapon she had underneath the waistband of her pants. She held onto it with both hands, but kept it held low. “I’ll guard them with my life, Doctor.”

“I appreciate it.”

“I have a life that revolves around you, Doctor. I _am,_ because of _you_. _That_ all ends if something happens to him.” She winked. “Theta Sigma is now the safest person in the entire universe.”

He licked at his lip and stared straight ahead of him. “And while we’re on the subject of…”

“Rose, too.”

“Thanks, River.” He broke his stare with the empty corridor and cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. “Right. So. We all ready, then?”

“What’re we looking at here?” Rose queried as she moved in between the two young boys and looped an arm over each of their shoulders. “Is it the Dyrroes like Kochei suggested.”

“Yep,” the Doctor answered with a heavier than normal pop on his P as they rounded a corner to find themselves at the doorway of the largest engine room any of them had ever seen – and that includes the heart of the TARDIS, which is – _well_ – incredibly Impressive. “Oh-kay,” he breathed worriedly. “This is a full battle vessel. Fortunately, it appears to be minimally staffed, but that makes it no less of a nightmare to anyone they seem ready to launch their wrath on.”

Koschei shook his head. “This is far too technologically advanced for the Dyrroes, Doctor.”

“I agree,” Theta offered. “We’re more than a year into the study of the provenance and expansion of the Dyrroen cultures and battalions. Koschei and I, well, we’re specialists in this topic. ” He blew out a breath and dropped his brows into a frown. “This has technology that the Academy doesn’t believe that the Dyrroes could even be remotely capable of within the next several centuries.”   

The Doctor swallowed thickly enough that the movement of his Adam’s apple was slow and lazy. “Yes. Well.”

Rose frowned. “Oh. I don’t like the sound of that.”

“No,” he sang awkwardly. “Me, neither.” He clapped his hands and then rubbed them together. “But never mind that. We’re here now. So let’s find out just what a Dyrroen battle craft is doing lurking about inside Gallifreyan airspace…” He winced a little. “Almost nine hundred years out of its time.”

“Hold on,” River snapped with a rise of her hand to tell him to stop. “What did you say? They’re here out of their time?”

He winced as he nodded. “It would appear that’s the case, River.” He pointed to a smaller substructure within the main navigational section. “That there,” he instructed, “is a Psycho-Telemeter, the design of which was patented for, _well_ ,” his face screwed as he filtered through his mind for the right information. “for the Type 70 TT Capsule.”

“There’s no such machine as the Type 70,” Koschei corrected.

“No,” he agreed darkly. “Not _yet_ there isn’t.”

“I see,” Koschei muttered carefully. “So another craft out of its time on Gallifrey.” His eyes slid up to the Doctor’s. “What has happened to the Time Lock that protects Gallifrey and Kasterborous from time travellers wanting to see their future or change their pasts?”

“I don’t know,” he breathed.

“How did _you_ get here, then,” he accused.

“Bad Wolf,” he answered distractedly as he launched into a swift walk toward the suspect technology.

“Bad _what_?”

He shook his head as he weaved his way though a series of frames to approach the metre-high Telemeter.   “It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that we have a stable pathway through the lock that won’t invite additional travellers travelling on our wake. The only craft that can make it through on our lock is a TARDIS that has been symbiotically linked to ours.”

“Nothing like that exists on Gallifrey,” Theta ventured. “I heard Dad discussing that with Innocet and Quences in the Great Hall last week.”

“Your dad still lets you in there after the cobblemouse incident?”

Theta shot a dark look toward Koschei. “That is four Celestial cycles past now, Koschei. I would like to think that my father has forgotten that incident by now.”

“We’re talking Ulysses of Lungbarrow, yeah?”

“Good point,” Theta muttered. “Forgets _nothing_.” He huffed and raised his eyes to where his elder self was poking through wires surrounding the stolen technology. “So if this craft is indeed here out of its time, Doctor. Then we must assume that there has been a time distortion along the barriers of the Kasterborous time lock.” He looked to Koschei. “Which means another Time Lord must be defying the laws of council and utilizing unsafe intra constellation time travel.”

“I wouldn’t be incredibly concerned about the Time Lord who broke the rules, lads,” the Doctor muttered as he reached into his blazer pocket to retrieve his glasses and slid them up the bridge of his nose. He lifted his head high enough over the edge of the scaffolding that his mouth lightly gaped and he looked down along the length of his nose at the wiring. “I think,” he muttered around a swallow. “That I know who it was that broke the council law.”

“Who would be so foolish?”

Rose chuckled. “You mean besides us, Thete?”

The Doctor snorted. “Let’s just say that we shouldn’t be too worried about who it is.” He scratched at his hair and pulled his sonic screwdriver from his pocket. “Let’s be more concerned with this ship, what they want, and how we can best steal back Time Lord technology … without alerting the Time Lords that advanced Time Lord technology exists.”

“Quite a mouthful,” River said with a shake of her head. She then pointed to the doorway. “While you’re up there tinkering about, Doctor, I’m going to stand guard at the door and make sure there aren’t any unsavoury gatecrashers to our little Time Lord party here.”

“Good idea, River, thanks.”

She slapped Rose’s shoulder. “Coming?”

“Packing?”

“Of course. Want one?”

The Doctor growled. “No she does not.” He tugged at some wiring. “Guns. I hate guns.” He let up a gasp of shocked surprise as a dark-mopped little head popped up beside him. “What the?”

“Need help?” Koschei asked with a grin. “Me ‘n Thete are fast studies. And he’s a bit of a genius with tinkering around with technology he shouldn’t be.”

The Doctor snorted. “Yep. Kind of aware of that, thanks.” He peeped as Theta appeared on the other side of him. His fringe was heavy over his eyes and held down by a single insulated wire that stood between he and the Doctor.

“So if this is advanced tech,” Theta asked with excitement as he attempted to blast his fringe from his face with a huff of air from his mouth. “I’m thinking that you’re fairly familiar with it?”

“You could say that,” The Doctor answered with a single-sided smirk. “I’ve disabled one or two or fifteen of these in my time.” He tipped his shoulder up toward his ear. “I think there was a red light special on TARDIS technology several hundred years into our future. The Dyrroens made a fortune from this part alone.”

“How did they get it,” Koschei asked curiously. “It’s not so easy to get hold of TT Capsule technology. As we learned with your ship only moments ago, if they don’t want you on board, you don’t get in.”

“Additionally,” Theta offered. “It’s not like there’s a repair manual hanging from a corkboard in the console room. The technology and the parts are terrifically complicated.” He looked past a wire to Koschei. “You heard my dad head off on a rant about that a couple of months ago.” He looked back to the Doctor. “Said he couldn’t make heads nor tails of the new parts on his TT Capsule when he got it back from overhaul. He’s a capsule pilot with centuries of experience in repair and maintenance.”

“I hear you, Thete,” the Doctor answered. “And, indeed, the chances of another species being able to cannibalize and utilize TARDIS technology are extremely slim.”

“I sense a _but_.”

He grimaced as he focused on the unit in front of him. “But when the technology is _given_ to them in the form of a TARDIS, by a Time Lord, then they have very little trouble, don’t they?”

Koschei frowned tightly. “Who would do such a thing?”

“Oh,” the Doctor managed at the same time that he cleared his throat. “Noone special, _really_. He was just a Lord who decided to steal himself a Type 70 and hand it off to the highest bidder when he was finished taking his joyrides across the Universe.”

“I would hardly refer to him as _just_ a Lord,” Koschei chided. “A Lord who would do such a thing is anything but a nameless face. He should be strung up and put on display for all of Gallifrey to see so that they can know the name of their betrayer.”

“Yep,” the Doctor squeaked. “Couldn’t agree more.”

Theta pointed his finger in through the wiring. “I’ve analysed the ports and their signal feeds based on the locations and wiring matrices. If we reverse the bio-data feed into the phsycho-telemetic circuit, then we can override using the…”

“…Foldback of the Planck-collapse resonances to destabilize the spiral polyhelixes on a macrotransbaltive level,” the Doctor finished with a happy noise in the back of his throat. “Oh, that is clever of you. Well. Of course it is. It came from you, which is me. Which is just brilliant. Two of me.” He frowned. “Which might not be so brilliant depending on who you are.” He grinned. “But for me, brilliant! Molto Bene.”

Koschei dropped his forehead into his palm. “Two of you. Wow. And even as you cycle through your regenerations, Thete, your mouth still flaps like a Yaddlefish.”

“My mouth and its babble are my most endearing quality, thank you, Koschei of Oakdown.”

“And it’s also the one defining characteristic that tells the universe and all of her people just who it is that is trespassing on their ship. Hello, _Doctor_. Welcome to my ship.”

 

 


	41. Field Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, it is a field trip, really ... The Doctor and his girls continue their field trip on the Dyrroen craft - Doctor-Style

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh God, I hope this makes sense ....

He could almost laugh at it: his luck – or lack thereof. 

The one good thing to be said about the ever expanding universe was that there was more than enough distance within space and time to not have to _accidentally_ bump into marauding alien wrongdoers more than once.

Daleks, Cybermen, Weeping Angels, Sontarans, Zygons, Autons, Silurians aside, with the Doctor moving between space, time, and even parallels, the chances of having a second run in with a low-class and insignificant battalion leader were considered _pretty low_ to _bloody impossible_.

That said.  It certainly appeared that someone needed to go out and buy themselves a lottery ticket.

The Doctor rubbed hard at his brow with his thumb and actually grimaced as he looked up and through his brows as the somewhat humanoid creature standing in the doorway opposite to where River Song and Rose had positioned themselves.

“Well, by the Gods, if it isn’t my _old friend_ Vooax: The destroyer of civilizations…”  He paused and held his hand up a moment as he coughed and shook his head.  “Oh.  No.  No no no no no.  Sorry.  I mean the _attempted_ destroyer of civilizations.  That’s a more accurate name for you then, isn’t it?  The last time we had the misfortune of being on the same craft, _oh_ ,” tightened up his face into a frown of thought .  “Oh, about one-hundred fifteen years ago, wasn’t it?  Remember?  When I very brilliantly thwarted you plans at trying to destroy the citadel of the republic of Chermaron?”

“Eighty for me, Doctor.”

“Ah yes,” he muttered dismissively as he held up his hands in front of his chest and wiggled his fingers in a _creepy voodoo_ manner.  “Wibbly wobbly timey wimey ... _stuff._   Eighty years for you, One-fifteen for me.”  He grinned as he strode past a monitoring station and let his index finger swipe lazily across the screen, right to left.  “And you know what that means?”  He spun to look at Vooax and circled his finger in the air in a spiralling point of his finger.   “This whole widening age gap between us _thing_.  It means that I’ve put on an additional thirty-five years of experience than you since that date.  And, _well_ , if you weren’t able to sneak by me back then, I certainly don’t want to bet on your chances in being able to do so now.”  He grinned cheekily.  “Am I right?”   

“You had luck on your side the last time we met, Doctor,” Vooax snarled as he held up his hand and curled his fingers into a fist.  “You won’t be so lucky this time around.”

The Doctor snorted and let his eyes flick toward the ladies in a silent demand for them to stay put and not move.  “Well,” he sang as his eyes shifted back toward Vooax.  “This time you’ve got more than one of me to deal with, haven’t you?  IF you think one Time Lord was hard to beat, how will you fare with five of us?”

Vooax passed a look of incredulity across the other members of the Doctor’s party.  Two children and two women, all dressed in the crimson tunic and pant set of an Academy Cadet.  “More than just _you_ , Doctor.  Well let me see.  We have two young children and two _women_ , all of whom appear to be in uniform.”  He chuckled and passed a look of utter disdain toward the Doctor, who seemed to be somewhat distracted from the conversation by some twinkling lights on a console underneath a LED monitor.  “You truly have me quaking in my boots, Doctor…”

“Hmmm?”  About ninety  percent of his focus was on the information displayed on the monitor, and the remaining ten wasn’t exactly on the alien speaking across his shoulder.  He pulled that focus from the monitor when he heard a low growl of annoyance succeed a call of his name.  He shook himself quickly and thrust his hands into his trouser pockets as he levied a smile and a put-on sheepish expression.  “Right.  Yes.  Sorry ‘bout that.  Got momentarily distracted by your pretty little lights here.  So where were we?  Oh yes.”  He swallowed and slid his eyes to River song and Rose.  “Children and women, you say.  Yes.  Well.  It does kind of look very much like it’s field trip day for the Academy, doesn’t it?”  He waved his hands either side of him in invitation to the two boys and his two female companions to rally toward him.  “Come on, pupils.  Gather ‘round.  Let’s show Commander Vooax, what we’ve learned, shall we?” 

The four Cadon cadets obediently followed the instruction of their _professor_ and took position either side of the Doctor.  They remained dutifully silent and rigid as they awaited further instruction from the Doctor.  They were each surprised – and didn’t completely hide that emotion – when the Doctor suddenly launched into lecture.

“Now that you’ve all taken a moment to look around the engine compartment of this Dyrroen craft, what are your observations?”  He passed a look down to his younger self.  “Theta Sigma of Lungbarrow, would you like to start?”

Theta looked initially startled, but quickly recovered with a subtle shake of his head and shoulders.  “Well, honoured professor.  The most immediate observation that stood out to me was the variations and modifications on this ship against models known and registered within the databases of the Shadow Proclamation.  The technology is sound, but as it is stolen technology it has been interpreted incorrectly by the Dyrroen battleship mechanical staff.  This misinterpretation of the technology, and the lack of awareness of the onboard computer system to be able to accurately plot by map the galactic coordinates within N-Space, can be cleanly observed by the current location coordinates displayed on the navigational monitors …” He caught the reddening of the Doctor’s face as he struggled to maintain composure against either laughter or anger – Theta couldn’t immediately translate the expression – and dropped his head.  “Are my observations at fault, Honoured Professor?”

“Why no,” the Doctor squeaked.  He cleared his throat and steeled his expression.  “Koschei of Oakdown.  Would you care to continue?”

Theta looked quite disappointed to have been cut off, but he showed keen support toward Koschei being able to flawlessly complete the observations. 

Koschei may well have known, and could absolutely have given a much more concise delivery of the observations he had made, unfortunately, however, fear of the situation had the young lad quiet under the glare of the ship’s commander.

Theta gave him a light nudge with his shoulder when Koschei seemed reluctant to play along.  “Come on.  I know you know.”

“But…”

“Don’t be scared,” he whispered with encouragement.  “I’ve got you. “  He grinned and looked up at the Doctor.  “Twice over.”

“Koschei,” the Doctor prodded.  “Would you like to expand upon what Theta observed?”

Koschei nodded and then cleared his throat.  His blue eyes tightened as he frowned lightly.  “In agreement with, and further to the observations made by Theta Sigma of Lungbarrow.  The data readings from the navigational interface suggests that this ship is currently located at position eleven zero ten zero eleven by one three from the galactic centre of the ninth galaxy.”

“I can see that,” the Doctor answered coolly with a flash of his eyes up to Vooax.  “Yet where did the TT Capsule navigation console indicate to us that we are located?”

Koschei rolled his eyes, his courage rushing back to him rather spectacularly.  “Well I don’t need the Capsule to tell me _that_ …”

“Pupil, you will show respect for your _honoured_ professor.”

River Song and Rose snorted at his side.  The Doctor had to be loving every moment of this.

Koschei had the grace to look scolded.  “Apologies, Honoured Professor.   The TT Capsule has verified astronomical navigational coordinates of ten zero eleven zero zero by zero two from the galactic zero point of N Space.”  He let his eyes shift to Vooax.  “That would put you in the Kasterboreon galactic zone.  More specifically, over the planet Gallifrey.”

“More specific than that,” Theta continued.  “You’re at an altitude of approximately 525,000 feet from Gallifrey’s surface.”

“Oh,” Koschei added with a full turn toward Theta as though to discuss their observations.  “IT should also be noted in our field trip logs that the ship did make a rapid descent into Gallifrey airspace before climbing up to its current altitude.”

“That’s a good point, Koschei,” Theta noted.  “The sonic shock and wavelength from the ship breaching the upper atmosphere would put the lowest altitude at no less than about 35,000 feet.”  He pursed his lips and gave an adorable frown.  “Which is a direct violation against the Kasterboreon flight mandate, which states that no craft can fly below 85,000 feet without a flight plan being approved by high council.”  He raised his eyes to the Commander.  “Which I will expect you don’t have.  With the laws of Rassilon stating quite clearly the rules against species of lesser evolution being able to receive permissions from council to enter Gallifrey, it can be quite safely assumed that you don’t have permission.”

“Agreed, fellow pupil,” Koschei purred.  “And it is known to even first year cadets at the Academy that the Dyrroens are considered a lesser species than Gallifreyan.”

“Now now,” the Doctor warned with a chuckle.  “While your words are accurate beyond any comprehensible measure, there is no need to be impolite to our host.”

Both Theta and Koschei offered the commander a forced and polite bow of contrition.  “Apologies to our host.”

Vooax pushed past the two lads with a growl to view the results on the screen for himself.  “What you say is impossible,” he snarled.  “I entered the flight plan and the destination coordinates myself.  We were to return to Dyrroes.”

The Doctor’s brows shot high.  “Oh?  And why’s that, then?  Last I knew your battle ships never returned to Dyrroes unless you were in need of supplies and armaments.”  He grinned.  “So is that to say your ship’s resources are depleted and now you’ve found yourself in very hostile space with no way of defending yourselves?” 

“I wouldn’t be so fast to make assumptions like that, Doctor,” Vooax snarled as he palmed the console panel.  “You have forgotten that a Dyrroen commander will never allow his resources to fall to levels that will render them incapable of defending themselves.”

The Doctor stepped into a position slightly behind Vooax and flicked his wrists to his party to have them pair off – woman and child a piece – to ensure the safety of the kids.  “Are you very sure of that, Vooax?”  His voice was actually soft and concerned as he spoke.  “With your main navigational computer obviously feeding you inaccurate information, can we also make the assumption that your inventory reporting is also questionable?”  He swallowed thickly and nodded his head to River Song and then to a computer station off to her left.  He spoke as he watched out of the corner of his eye, River lead Koschei to the station.  “I would very much hate for you to find yourself in a situation that could bring harm to you and your crew.”

“You would be the first one to apply that kind of harm, Doctor,” he snarled threateningly.  He gave a very slow turn and lowered his chin to glare along his pointed and crimson nose at the Doctor.  “Which means my crew will detain you and hold you and your pupils to ransom until we determine the cause of this malfunction.”

The Doctor bit at his lip and nodded slowly as he took a single stride backward.  To his right he could see Rose touch her hands to Theta’s shoulders to lead him away to have the Doctor stand alone in the centre of the room.  “Do you think that’s wise, Vooax?  Caging a Time Lord is a very dangerous endeavour to embark on.”  He smirked and let one brow arch high.  “And of all the Time Lords, this one is one of the more dangerous ones.”

Vooax strode quickly forward to sneer into the Doctor’s face.  “Oh yes.  The Mighty Oncoming Storm.  I’m familiar with your reputation.”

“Considering we’ve met in a rather similar situation in the past, I would expect that you are.”  He tipped up a shoulder and walked himself around the Commander, using the movement to watch the retreat of the girls with their charges.  He was annoyed, but not particularly surprised, to see Theta grab Rose’s hand and tug her toward another computer station.  His eyes darkened and he let his eyes shift back to Vooax.  “You really didn’t fare well with me that time.  Do you want me to remind you about what happened when you threw me into one of your cells and left me to my own devices?”  He inhaled deeply and raised his head to look down his nose.  “An entire cellblock destroyed, your communications rendered mute and an internal explosion of your main warp drive.  You had to limp back to Dyrroes with your tail between your legs, didn’t you?”

Vooax said nothing as he glared a heated stare at the Doctor.

“Experiencing a moment of amnesia, Commander?”  He pointed to the monitor behind Vooax in an attempt to distract him from seeing what his team were doing either side of the room.  “I’m sure that I can access the Dyrroen data files and gather the battle logs for you.”  He strode quickly by him and flicked his wrist for him to follow, desperately hoping that the Dyrroen commander couldn’t see where Theta had disappeared into the mechanics behind where Rose was frantically letting her fingers fly across the console.  “I know I don’t have a terrific amount of experience with your system, but I am a rather fast study.”

To his left, River Song was battling against a wriggling Koschei, who seemed desperate to join his friend on the other side of the room.  He shot her a glare in demand for her to control the young boy.

Vooax had not moved from the position that the Doctor had left him in.  He hadn’t shifted even a muscle.  A vein did seem to be thumping and pulsing in his neck, and his chest did rise and fall with deep and controlled breaths.

“Do you not think that I am blind to what you’re doing, Doctor,” he finally snarled.

The Doctor put on his most innocent expression.  “I’m trying to help you return to your solar system,” he ventured.  “Because I really don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be hanging around Gallifrey.”  He blew out a breath and widened his eyes in feigned worry.  “The war council really don’t take too kindly with alien ships swanning about inside our airspace.  Particularly species that are known warriors intent on conquering all of the civilizations they can.”

Vooax rushed the Doctor and clutched at his lapels as he snarled heated spittle into his face.  “The unfortunate situation that my ship finds itself in is _your_ doing, Time Lord.  We have not been any less than sixty light years away from Kasterborous in a millennia.  Not since the treaty forged between our leaders and your Rassilon.”

The Doctor curled a lip and curled his hand around Vooax’s wrist in a vain attempt to pry his hands from his collar.  “I had nothing to do with this.”

“You are sore that you weren’t successful in destroying this ship completely,” he growled.  “You have been hunting us down to finalize your desire to exact complete devastation on the pride of Dyrroen.”

“Don’t be so bloody daft,” he countered.  “I couldn’t give a woprat’s arse about going after you again.  If I had lived out my entire set of regenerations without having to see you and your ship again it would be too soon.”  He finally snatched himself away from the Commander.  “You entering Kasterborous and ending up within firing range to the Gallifreyan forces is your own doing, you blind fool.”  He took a step backward.  “You stole Time Lord Technology, and not just any technology, you put into your ship a Psycho-Telemeter.  Do you have any idea what that is?  It’s a damn homing beacon.  It is designed to take a Time Lord _back_ to Gallifrey when the ship is in distress or low on supply.  It overrides any pilot navigational command and returns them to this planet.”

“That is not what we were…”

“Oh, and you take the word of a treasonous Time Lord who _sold off_ the technologies of his planet,” he countered with a snarl.  “You are more fool that I even gave you credit for.  The Lord who handed you his TT Capsule can’t be trusted by anyone, not Time Lord, not Friend, and definitely not the highest bidder.”

A Holler of excitement echoed through the command deck as young Theta launched out of the engine waving high above his head a cumbersome looking piece of technology.  “Doctor!  I’ve gotten…”  He screeched as he slammed face-first into the thick chest of a Dyrroen sentinel guard.  “By Rassilon…”

The Doctor’s eyes shot wide in horror.  “Theta, No!  Get back!”

Vooax thrust an arm out in the direction of the young boy.  “Kill him!”

Rose shot forward to clutch the young boy in her arms.  “No.  He’s just a child!”

“Then kill them both,” he ordered.  “The Doctor will learn that I am not going to be taken for a fool.”

“Take me,” the Doctor pleaded inside a desperate yell.  “Leave them alone.  Take me instead.”

“Now where’s the fun in that?”  He growled again at the guard.  “You will shoot!”

The guard blindly complied with the request and raised his weapon at Theta, who was being cradled inside the circle of Rose’s protective embrace.  As she cried out for them to leave the young boy alone, the guard fired a hot blue streak of light toward the pair.

As he watched the love of his life and the face of his youth disappear in front of him, the Doctor let out a soul wrenching cry and fell to his knees.

The desperate cry of another young boy was the only thing more shattering than the cry of a Time Lord.

“Thete!  No!”

 


	42. Recalled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A last minute save from Lungbarrow puts Rose up against the Eleventh Doctor. The brat inside the girl comes out, and the Doctor is left to deal with her wrath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this in a hurry in the back of my truck as we drove to our campsite. Laptop is almost out of juice, so I have to post as is...

The young boy squirmed desperately in Rose’s arms as he attempted to get away from her.  He heard the kill order, and he knew that the order was made on his life.  There was no way he was going to allow her to be taken with him.

Theta Sigma was a Time Lord in training for Rassilon’s sake.  It would be terribly unbecoming of a future Lord to allow the demise of a beautiful Time Lady without doing all he could to stop it.  More important than that, Arkytior was his Bondmate – _future_ Bondmate.  It was an instinctual imperative that burned deep inside him that demanded he do all he could to make sure she was kept safe at all costs.

“Arkytior,” he bellowed as he struggled out of her hold as the air around them crackled and flashed a bright brilliant blue.  “Let me go!”

His name caught inside her chest as the pounding pulse of light ripped and pulled at them both.  She wasn’t going to let him go.  Not at all.  Theta Sigma had a life of thrill and excitement ahead of him.  The universe needed him…

… _She_ needed him.

All Rose could do to counter his struggle was to clutch her arms even tighter around his little waist and whisper soothingly against his ear as the light around them engulfed them both in a searing embrace. 

They couldn’t let go of each other if they tried.  Locked rigid within the light, they simply resigned themselves to hold each other and await their inevitable demise. 

Their demise didn’t come as expected, however.  After a short moment that felt like eternity, the suffocating light around them quickly dissipated with a crackling _zziip_.  Both Rose and Theta fell heavily to the floor, both gasping desperately for breath as they separated from each other on their hands and knees.

Rose panted as she reached out her hand for him.  “Thete,” she croaked as her hand touched lightly at his shoulder.  “Are you okay?”

His eyes were clenched tightly shut, but he nodded.  “Yes, Arkytior.  I’m fine.”

She could tell by the waver in his voice that he was far from _fine_ , but gave him respect enough to pretend to buy it.  “King of _fine_ , yeah?”

“Yeah,” he breathed quietly as he blinked his eyes open and looked around him.  “Where are we …”  His eyes caught focus and then widened.  “Lungbarrow?  Oh _really_?”

At his utterance of the name of the home, Rose let herself look up from Theta to take in the arboreal architecture of the room around them.  White trunked walls, elaborate furnishings and terrifically high ceilings.  Yeah.  They were at Lungbarrow.  She didn’t exactly need to ask just _how_ they ended up here, but she sure as hell was going to go ahead and seek answers to a question or two.  The word _Doctor_ left her lips inside a threatening growl.

“Hello Rose,” the Doctor Eleven quipped in a friendly tone.  “So nice of the two of you to join us.  We – Amy, Rory and me – were getting somewhat lonely and miffed to be out of the action.”

Amy gave a chuckle.  “Well.  Rory’s marathoning some sci-fi show right now so he’s nonethewiser to the antics of the Time Ladies of Lungbarrow, but sure.  I’ll agree to whatever Raggedy man says.”  She grinned as Rose levied a rather annoyed look in her direction.  “Welcome back, and you brought a little friend with you!”

“Amy,” the Doctor warned cautiously.  “It might not be the best time to..”  He swallowed as Rose quickly jumped up to her feet and stalked aggressively toward the table he was seated at.  “ _Here_ we go.”

“Oh too right,” Rose snapped.  “Here we go and then some, _Time Boy_.”

“I can explain,” he muttered as he quickly retrieved the transporter unit from in front of him and tucked it behind his back.

“You or _him_?”

“What?”

She slammed both hands hard on the table and leaned down heavily on her hands.  “Which one of you decided to pull me out of there?”

“Does it matter who made the call,” he growled back in response.  “The both of you were going to be killed by Vooax – who is just itching to apply some Dyrroen vengeance on me for what happened the last time we met.  We had no choice but to get you both out of there as quickly as possible.”

“ _You_.  Or.  _Him_?”

“It was a joint venture,” he admitted finally.  “We had this protective measure in place before we left Borrav for just in case things got out of hand.”  He swallowed thickly.  “Which, as appears to be standard operating procedure where Rose Tyler is concerned, happened, didn’t it?”

She licked at her teeth and nodded slowly as she drew herself out of her lean and rose to a stand.  “I see.”

“It’s to keep you safe.”

She snorted a derisive exhale though her nose.  “It always is, isn’t it?  You ‘n him makin’ my life decisions on my behalf.  Well you know _what?_   It’s time that I was allowed to make a decision of my own. _”_ She held out her hand to him to request for whatever it was that he was hiding from her.  ”Give it to me.”

He tried for innocence when he widened his eyes a little and tilted his head ever so slightly.  “Give you what?”

“Whatever it is that you used to bring me here,” she growled with a snap of her fingers to demand the item.  “I’m not playing about, Doctor.  I need to get back up there.”

“I promised him that I wouldn’t send you back if we had to get you out of there,” he warned her sternly.  “And I’m not going back on that promise.”

“Why not,” she challenged.  “You’re not exactly well known for keeping them.”

“I kept the one I made to your mother,” he snapped back. 

Rose pressed her hands into the table and leaned down once more to loom over him.  “My _husband_ is up there – your brother – are you expecting me to just abandon him.”  She held up her hand when he opened his mouth to answer.  “No.  Don’t answer that.  _Abandoning people_ is what you do best, isn’t it?”

“That’s a low strike.”

“Tell me I’m wrong, Doctor.  Tell me I’m wrong.”

He pushed his hands into the table and pushed himself to a stand.  His expression fell into a glare that conveyed both hurt and fury.  When he spoke, his voice was tight and controlled.  “I’m going to ignore that accusation because I understand that you are beyond worried about your Doctor.  But never say that to me again.”

“Send me back,” she hissed back without apology.

“If anyone’s going back up there, Rose Tyler, I am.”  His fingers dragged along the tabletop as his hands moved into a fist.  “You will stay here with Rory, amy, and..”  He looked at his child self, who stood in a hunch slightly behind Rose.  “And Theta.”

“My best friend is there,” Theta challenged him.  “And he’s scared.  I’m the only one who can calm his fear.  I need to go back.”

“You can’t,” The Doctor answered simply.  “You must be kept safe at all costs.”

“And my life will mean nothing to me if I abandon my friend up there to die.”  He patted his hand against his left heart.  “He is my _brother_ , and you well know that I will do everything in my power to make sure he comes home.”

“I’m well aware of your feelings toward Koschei,” the Doctor said softly as he walked along the line of the table to stand in front of the TARDIS doors.  “The Doctor will keep him safe.  I promise you that.”

Rose hadn’t shifted from her lean against the table.  Her eyes watched as the Doctor moved from the chair across the other side and toward the TARDIS.  Her breathing went from an angry series of pants to a controlled deep inhale/exhale combination.  “I’m going back to him.”

“Not with my help you won’t.”  He nodded to the table.  “Now do as your told and stay here.  I’ll take the TARDIS up to the ship and lend a hand.  I’m sure that with River Song and the two Doctors, we can all return safe and sound.”

Rose blinked slowly, but still didn’t rise out of her lean.  “If you don’t send me back willingly, then I’ll find a way to get back on my own.”

The Doctor’s patience was quickly waning.  “And just _how_ do you think you’re going to do that?”

“Do you _really_ want to find out?”

“Don’t threaten me.”

“There’s no need, Arkytior,” Theta breathed quietly from behind her.  “I will help you.”  His eyes shifted to look at his older self.  “All it’ll take is just one communication.  Just one.  That’s all. One.  And we’ll have an entire fleet of Battle TARDISes lead by the most respected Time Lord ready to go.”

The Doctor’s eyes flashed open wide.  “You _wouldn’t_.”

“You were me once,” he charged.  “Do you really have to ask?”  He stalked around the looming and much older version of himself.  “Just how well do you think he’ll accept it knowing what you’ve done?”  He held up a small communication device that he drew from his trouser pocket.  “But I’ll be kind to you.  I’ll give you the choice of just who I’ll call.”

“Theta Sigma,” the Doctor breathed.  “Don’t…”

“Pick one, Doctor,” Theta dared him.  “Brax or Dad.  I’m good to reach out to either one of them.”

The Doctor leaned down.  “They don’t scare me.”

Theta’s eyes flashed open.  His stood up straight and breathed out a sound of surprise.  After a moment he shrugged and turned the communicator’s face around so that he could tap in a command.  “Well if that’s the case, then I’ll conference call them.  Mother is with Dad right now.  I’m sure she’d love to hear about you as well.”  He grinned a cheeky smile at the Doctor’s sudden intake of breath.  “Give me a bluff and I’ll call it.”

Amy’s voice chipped in over the young boy’s shoulder in a _yoink_ exclamation as she leaned over his shoulder and snatched the communicator from his hand.  “Got it, Doctor.  Saved from the mummy and daddy intervention.” She sighed, though, as she tossed it to him.  “however awesome that would have been to see, though.” 

Theta folded his arms across his chest and glowered a searing look toward Amy.  “I’ve decided that I don’t much like you.”  He looked to the Doctor.  “She’s human.”

“An astute observation.”

“Another law broken.”  He blew out a breath.  “How many more, Doctor?  Do I regenerate into a criminal against Gallifrey?”

The Doctor pressed his finger tip into the deep set hollow underneath the curve of his brow.  “There are certainly days that it feels like it, Thete.  There are many, many days.”

“Tell me something, Doctor.”  Rose’s voice had fallen into quiet resignation.

He heard the pain in her voice and moved quickly to her side.  “What’s that, Rose,” he urged softly with a tender stroke of his hands along her arms.  “What do you need to know?”

She looked up to give him a tearful stare.  “Does he know?”  She sniffed.  “Does the Doctor know that we’re still alive?”

He nodded and took both of her hands in his.  “This was always our plan, Rose.  And if he had any doubt at all as to whether or not it worked…”  He lifted his hand and drew his fingertips lightly along her temple.  “He’d feel it through your bond.  Trust me, Rose.  He knows you’re safe.  He’s not going to go and do anything stupid…” he blew out a breath and winced in shame.  “Like we almost did after Canary Wharf.”

Rose nodded.  “He told me about that.”

He snatched her in tightly against his chest.  “Please believe in us, Rose.  We can’t risk losing you.”

“And I can’t lose him, Doctor,” she whimpered against his chest.  “I can’t.”

He cupped her face in his hands and offered her a gentle look.  “You won’t,” he promised as he pressed his lips to her forehead.  “I’ll go up there and give him a hand.”  As though it was a perfectly natural action, he dipped his head to press his lips against hers in a short and tender kiss.  “I’ll bring him home to you.”

Rose pressed her lips together the instant he pulled away and nodded her head.

He let a grin spread across his face.  “And when we get back, we’ll crank up the old loom and you and Sandshoes can set about creating that new Lungbarrow child you talked about.”  He looked down at her.  “How does that sound?”

She shook her head and wetly chuckled in response.  “You’re being just like mum when I was coming out of a tantrum as a kid.  _Be a good girl, Rose, and I’ll buy you a present_.”

He laughed.  “Something like that.”  He pulled away from her and ran his hands through his bangs.  “So.  I guess I’ll head on into the TARDIS and go pull my brother out of hell.  You three just hang around here.  The Grudges have accepted you as official guests of Lungbarrow and will therefore look after any needs you may have…”

“You mean the creepy moving statues,” Amy queried.

“Couldn’t have put it better myself,” Theta remarked darkly.  “But, yeah.  They’re dedicated servants.”

The Doctor opened the door to the TARDIS and curled around the door to enter.  He paused just short of disappearing altogether to glance back at the trio watching him.  “I’ll be back in no time at all.”  His brows raised high.  “I promise you.”

“Be safe, Doctor,” Rose asked with a sigh.  “Bring all of you back in one piece.”

“I promise.”  He winked.  “Back shortly!”

The three of them remained still with their eyes on the disappearing time machine.  Once the sound of materialization had softened out and the ship was gone, Rose licked at her lip.  “Thete, you mentioned giving me some assistance…”  she tilted her head to drop her gaze to his.  “In getting back up there.”

“My best friend is up there, too, Arkytior,” he breathed.  “I’ll _find_ help.”

“Rose,” Amy said with a croak.  “My husband is still in that ship, and my daughter is in there too.”

Rose snorted loudly.  “Well I guess that means you’re coming too, doesn’t it?”

“I wouldn’t let you tell me otherwise.”

“You’re not worrying about upsetting the Doctor,” Rose queried with a slow turn of her head toward Amy.  She tilted her head mildly to one side and smiled.  “Or are you also one of the guilty party to wander off when he says not to wander off.

Amy grinned a tight toothed grin, which shifted to a cheeky chuckle.  “Rule number one:  The Doctor lies.  What’s the number one rule for the companions?”

“We _always_ wander off – especially when they tell us not to.”

Theta shook his head.  “I imagine that I am tested on a continual basis by my _companions.”_

Amy scruffed his head and was rewarded with a petulant look of annoyance at being scruffed.  She chuckled at his annoyance.  “Yep.  We test you consistently.”

“Good to know,” he said with a sigh and then held out his hand.  “Please give me my communicator, Amy.  I need to call in a favour from my older brother.”

Rose snorted with a roll of her eyes.  “Somehow I don’t think he’s gonna agree to transporting you into a hostile alien ship.”  She sighed and looked to the ceiling.  “I can’t believe that _I’m_ even agreeing to it.”

Theta grinned darkly.  “Oh my Arkytior.  You have no idea just _what kind_ of favour my brother owes me.”  He held the communicator to his ear.  “I have him completely at my mercy to answer any and all whims I fancy.”

“Wow,” Amy breathed in awe.  “Just what did you catch him doing?”

Theta chuckled darkly.  His eyes widened a moment as the line picked up on the other end.  “Brax.  Theta.  About that favour that you owe to me.”

 


	43. Killing Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor (Tentoo) is still up on that pesky ship and has to deal with Vooax while he waits on the inevitable arrival of Eleven... And how does Tentoo deal with a bit of a need to kill some time? Why he babbles, doesn't he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if you think I'm dragging this out too much - but as much as I want to stick with Rose and Theta right now, I know I have to get back to Tentoo and River for a bit. Fingers crossed that sensational is coming shortly ... If I can write it, that is. It looks so bloody awesome in my head. I hope I can get it down in words as well...
> 
> Rassilon, give me writing time please... I beg of you...

The Doctor’s head hung low as Rose and little Theta Sigma disappeared in front of his eyes. He tried to ignore the pain and horror inside of Koschei’s cry as he called out for his best friend. He tried to ignore the scream of River Song as she spun to declare vengeance upon the Dyrroen commander for killing her _sister_.

He needed to concentrate. He needed to feel her; feel that the contingency plan that he and his Eleventh self had come up with had worked. He needed to be sure that she was safe. He wanted to make sure that his hearts was still alive.

…If the yelling and screaming would just stop!

He kept his head and shoulders slumped. He kept his eyes closed and didn’t move from his penitent position. He couldn’t. At least not until he knew for sure.

He felt the fall of a smaller form in front of him – Koschei – and shuddered in a breath to feel the young boy’s complete despair at the loss of his friend.

“Doctor,” he managed with a sob. “They killed him. They killed my best friend.”

The Doctor bobbed his head in a very short series of nods. His voice was croaked and quiet when he answered the young boy. “I know.”

Koschei pressed his hands into the Doctor’s knees and gripped them desperately. “But it can’t happen,” he said with a wet sniff. “It’s a paradoxical situation. He can’t be dead if you’re here.” He inhaled a shaking breath that sucked his bottom lip into his mouth. “More important than that. Doctor. He’s my best friend, my cadet brother. He can’t be dead. I can’t do this without him.”

The Doctor’s arms thrust forward to circle the young boy’s arms and shoulders. He quickly pulled him into a tight and comforting embrace. He rocked them both as he let Koschei fall apart against him. As Koschei shattered in his arms, the Doctor raised a hot glare up at Vooax.

“When was it that the people of Dyrroes allowed the unnecessary murder of women and children?” He sniffed a wet inhale. “It was once believed that the men of the Dyrroen forces were honourable soldiers.”

Vooax rolled his eyes and shrugged. “When we are at war, Doctor, there exists no honour.”

Anger filtered into the mind of the Doctor, anger at the words uttered hotly by Vooax, and anger along the bond he shared with Rose Tyler.

…Oh, and by the feel of it, Rose Tyler was quite sensationally pissed off. That was good. Very good. Brilliant even. Pissed off was much better than dead. He could deal with pissed off once he got out of this mess – dead wasn’t so easy to have to deal with.

He shoved himself suddenly out of Koschei’s hold and directed him blindly toward River Song as he stalked a handful of fast strides toward Vooax. He held his finger up in a count of the points he was about to make. “As a point of note. This is not _war_ , Vooax. It you think that _this_ …” he swept his arms around him to indicate the current situation “… constitutes war, then you are sorely mistaken. You have no idea what _war_ is. None. Absolutely no clue whatsoever.” He sneered into the face of his enemy. “There is a difference between a battleship invading an unsuspecting and unarmed planet and the war between two arguing factions hell-bent on destroying each other for no other reason than sheer hatred. You might find it in your best interests not to mistake the two distinctions going forward. A planet at war is not an easy mark for anyone wanting to get rowdy against her people.”

He sneered a one-sided smirk at the Doctor. “And you would know.”

“More than you do, apparently.” He took a stride closer and leaned forward to lower his voice to a threatening whisper. “And trust me when I say that one species you never want to declare war against is the Time Lords.” He straightened back up to a tall stand. “And attacking our women and children are a good start in declaring war.” With a shrug and a shake, the Doctor thrust his hands into his trouser pockets and seemed to perk up a little. “And as for honour. _Well_. There is always _honour_ among soldiers and even thieves – if you indulge in the odd cliché here and there of course – or is that that there is _no_ honour among thieves.” He chuckled to himself and even leaned forward a little as though hoping that Vooax was willing to share in the joke. “I really can’t tell anymore. So many different ways of saying things and so many different things to say, aren’t there?” He tapped at both temples with his fingers as he stepped backward closer to Koschei and River Song. “I’m getting all messed up in here in my old age I think. I don’t know my own mind and what I’m thinking, feeling, seeing, hearing…” he waggled his brows and licked a little at the air. “…Tasting.”

“It would be in your very best interests to shut up now, Doctor…”

“Take, for example, sounds. Oh, there are many fine sounds – some distinctive, and others quite subtle and indiscernible.”

“Like the sound of my weapon chambering the bullet that’s going to end your reign of the bridge,” River Song snarled tightly as she petted the shoulder of young Koschei. “Choice of shooter yet to be determined.”

“Yes,” The Doctor growled in warning as he passed a look across to River Song and steeled his eyes at her to suggest she had better not shift a muscle. Slowly he looked back to Vooax and the steeled and taut expression he’d given River fell to a friendly disposition. “A bullet chambering inside a weapon is a rather easily discernible sound for sure,” he agreed. He rubbed at the back of his neck. “Ominous too, if I’m to be honest. But the kinds of sounds I’m thinking are those small and subtle ones that could mean nothing. Could mean everything. Could mean death. Could even mean the second coming of a brilliant …”

“You’re nearing the point I would assume, yes?”

His face lengthened with innocence that seemed to remove centuries from his age. “Of course I am, and I thank you graciously for entertaining my last rights of babble.”

“Well if these are your last words, make them good.”

“Oh,” he chuckled. “I intend to.” He thrust his hands deeper into his trouser pockets and rocked back lightly on the heels of his Converse. “Thing is – as a Time Lord – I have a more advance sense of hearing than most.” He tipped his head to grin at River Song , who rolled her eyes with impatient annoyance. “Superior biology and all that.” He looked back to Vooax. “I can also sense things. Time things. Wibbly Wobbly. Timey. Wimey.” He spun his finger in the air and inhaled a deep breath. “Stuff.” He looked down again. “Distortions. Oh the displacement of time and her energies, what amazing things that sensation does to a Lord of Time.” He shuddered for dramatics, and then quickly stopped still and held his finger against his lip and closed his eyes. “And if you listen close. So close. Just close your eyes, hold your breath, and listen very carefully, you might even be lucky enough to hear it.” He inhaled though his teeth in a hiss. “Oh by Rassilon’s crest it’s beautiful. The haunting cry of a bend within time’s embrace. Glorious.”

There was silence, and so the Doctor peeked out through one eye. His lips shifted to a smile. “Well? Do you hear it?”

Vooax was more than slightly annoyed by this. There was a tick in the corner of his eye that told anyone watching that he was beyond frustrated with the insane ramblings of the Time Lord. He knew, however, that the Doctor wouldn’t head off on such a ramble if there wasn’t something vitally important to be gleaned from it. There was something in the Time Lords words that Vooax needed to focus on. But what?

“I hear nothing,” he snarled finally. “There is nothing but the humming of my ship and the whimpering of a frightened little boy.”

The Doctor actually slumped. “Oh come on. You can do better than that.” He moved fast toward Vooax and slapped his hand down on his shoulder. He pushed down hard and lowered his head in time with Vooax. “Now, humour a condemned man. Close your eyes and focus.”

“I won’t take my eyes off you, Doctor.”

The Doctor straightened up and dramatically rolled his eyes. “Well you’re no fun then, are you?”            

Koschei stopped sniffing and rolled his head on his neck as he closed his eyes and listened. “Oh,” he breathed in an awed breath. “I hear it.”

The Doctor ran immediately from where Vooax stood and practically skipped around the young boy. “Beautiful, isn’t it, Koschei?”

“Yes,” he whispered with a nod of his head.

“Ooh,” the Doctor hummed urgently. “Tell me what you hear. Describe it to the quite obviously time-retarded soldier of Dyrroes. Tell him about what he’s missing.”

Koschei kept his eyes closed and inhaled a deep breath as his head shifted a reverent movement to deepen his connection with the mysterious sound. “It’s a song, a cry within a song. A haunting call to the vortex of time like the cry of a Trunkike across the winds of the Cadonflood River. I can hear her breathe. In and out.”

“Yes,” the Doctor breathed proudly. “Yes, Koschei. Oh you clever boy. That’s it exactly.” He spun to face Vooax. “And it’s a sound, oh,” a growl erupted from deep within his belly. “Oh, it’s magnificent.” He cupped his hand around his ear. “The haunting cry of a Trunkike across the still waters of Cadonflood…” He winked at Vooax. “But that’s not the only sound you hear, is it? Listen as the cry goes all breathy and husky.” He gasped and covered at his mouth. “And you know what comes next?”

A squealing cry weaved its way through the humming vibrations of the ship’s engines to echo throughout the room.   The screeching cry then fell heavily toward a gasping whining and wheezing sound. The Doctor grinned darkly and stood proud against the gusting winds around him as the sharp blue police box of the Eleventh Doctor materialized inside the doorway to the engine room. His face fell to an apologetic expression of darkness at the telltale creak of an opening TARDIS door.

“The cry of the TARDIS is not too dissimilar to that of a Trunkike,” he muttered with a tick of his head. “It’s easy to ignore; to mistake one for the other. They’re both organic sounds of song.” A smile tickled at the very corner of his mouth. “The push and pull whine of her engines, however. _Well_. That sound is very distinctive.”

The Eleventh Doctor took up position beside his pinstriped Time Lord brother. “And depending on who you are and just what it is that you’ve done to warrant a housecall by the Doctor, the sound is either the trill, whine and push of salvation…”

“…Or the sound of your imminent destruction,” Tentoo finished for him. He cocked his head to one side as he caught sight of River Song taking up position beside Eleven with Koschei standing close at her hip. “And considering you threatened to take the lives of two of ours…”

“Correction,” Vooax snapped. “I _took_ the lives of two of yours.”

Tentoo licked at his lip, but didn’t take his eyes off Vooax as he addressed his brother. “How’s Rose?”

“Extremely aggrieved,” he answered with a chuckle. “You’re looking at a _Jackie_ _Tyler_ level of pissed off. This means you’ve got some serious reparations to make to your loving wife when we get back to Lungbarrow. Seems that she didn’t like to get pulled back to the house just as things here were getting interesting.”

“And Theta?”

“About the same as Rose, really.” He cast a look through his fringe at Vooax. “Little Woprat threatened me with Dad and Brax. Who’d have thought that a kid so young could have a temper so vile.”

“Well,” Tentoo moaned with a chuckle. “He is _us_.”

“Indeed,” Eleven purred. “And this joker over here was setting up to kill _us_. Which is _bad_. But what is so much worse…”

“He went after _Rose_ ,” Tentoo snarled. “ _That_ is unforgivable.”

Vooax grinned a toothy grin to finally have a real challenge put before him. “Finally. Now it looks like we have a real fight on our hands.”

 


	45. Braxiatel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Irving Braxiatel answers his brother's call for assistance, but before they can finalize a plan, a pair of unexpected visitors materialize in the Great Hall of Lungbarrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to rewrite this whole chapter. I don't know what happened, but yesterday I lost it all... I did not know that my computer has been set to NOT keep backup files once I overwrite the damn things .. I will fix that momentarily. This section has cut where it is because I have to leave my desk and I am terrified that I am going to lose it all again...

The Great Hall of Lungbarrow was eerily quiet save for the gentle whir of a dutiful Grudge as it offered young Theta a glass of water. He declined with a gentle shake of his head, but checked with both Rose and Amy as to whether or not they were parched before sending the Grudge back along its way.

The thoughts rattling through the young boy’s head were swirling and pulsing with such great need for answers that Rose could have sworn to Earth and back that she could hear them. Wordless questions and concerns – blurred pictures inside her mind – swam through her subconscious like a tadpole struggling through murky waters. It didn’t take very long for her to finally find frustration in her inability to decipher the mess curling through her head.

“What is it,” she breathed finally with a look down into curious eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“The list is long and growing by the second,” he answered her softly.

“Is there anything that I might be able to help you with?”

Theta nodded slowly. He then closed his eyes and tipped his head to one side in heavy concentration. After a breath his eyes flashed open and he looked up at her. “Brax is only moments away, but I expect we have time for me to ask you a couple of my more pressing concerns before he arrives.”

Rose swallowed hard. “Okay. Go ahead.”

“The man who was here – the one you called Doctor – I will assume that he is an older version of myself.”

Rose chuckled lightly. “You’re a smart boy.”

He rolled his eyes. “It’s not really difficult to recognize your future incarnations.”

Amy rubbed at her chin. “Oh. I dunno. It’s not like you look in any way similar to your last self, now, do you?”

Theta smiled gently and petted at her hand. “When you come from a species that’s capable of regenerating into a dozen different bodies and faces it does become imperative that we can very easily discern who is who.” His eyes widened in thoughtful consideration. “Imagine if we couldn’t. The Regenerating Time Lords could quite easily run amok and simply change face in order to evade judgment.”

Amy snorted. “I thought that time Lords didn’t get up to nefarious deeds worthy of judgment.”

Theta smirked. “All Time Lords do is judge others, Amy.” He exhaled a long breath. “It’s actually written in the laws somewhere, I believe. _It is the duty of all Lords of time that thou shalt judge all of whom they cross paths.”_

Rose snickered into her hand. “Sounds about right.”

“Do you think I’m joking, Arkytior?”

Her face lengthened and fell. “Oh how I wish you were.”

“Me too,” he breathed as he shifted his hand to fiddle with Rose’s fingers in a request for her to take his hand in hers. “So can you please explain to me just how it is that there are two of my future incarnations here, and as to why only one of them is considered to be your _husband_.”

“Oh, uh…”                                                                                                                                                         

“And do not attempt to lie to me and tell me that it is because the younger looking one is _younger_ and so we aren’t bonded as yet.” He huffed. “I know that he is the elder incarnation of the two.” He swallowed thickly and snatched Rose’s hand into his. “What did I do to drive you away from me?”

“It’s complicated,” she whispered.

“Tell me what I did so that I can make sure I don’t do it.” He looked up imploringly into her face. “Having to survive without one’s Bondmate is a life that no Lord should have to live. I definitely don’t want to have to…”

“You remarry,” Rose said quickly. “I wouldn’t worry about you not having someone to love you and hold your hand.” She swallowed and shared a look with Amy. “River Song is the wife you take in this, your last incarnation of this regeneration cycle. I’m very far from your thoughts by then.”

“If he makes you believe that for a single beat of his hearts, then he lies.”

“Well,” she sang quietly. “It’s what you do best, Theta. It’s what you do best.”

“But never to you,” he vowed under his breath.

Rose snorted. “That was one of the biggest lies you ever told me.” She took one of his hands in hers and stroked gently at it as she forced on her fakest and most brightest smile. “But because of that I am very happy, Thete. Because of that lie I have everything I ever wanted and a transcendent love that will last for all of time.”

“With me?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes.”

He looked horribly confused. “But how? We aren’t together when I’m in my thirteenth self…”

“Twelve,” Amy corrected. “Raggedy man is your twelfth body.”

“But you said it’s my last.”

“As I said: _It’s complicated,_ ” Rose breathed softly. “But do know that I will love you, all of you, whoever you are and whatever you become, for all of time. I am your wolf, you are my storm.”

He smiled a reflective grin. “Such a magnificent tale of love is the story of the wolf and the Storm. I wonder just how appropriate it is that you compare you and my future self to the heroes in that tale. Tell me, do I meet you at a time where I truly needed salvation?”

“You may have said that to me once or twice.”

He smiled and breathed out a wistful breath. “Then I can’t wait to meet you, my Arkytior, so that you may save me from despair.”

A new voice reached out from the darkness beyond a doorway to the Great Hall. “Has our mother been filling your head with fairy tales again, Thete?”

The three of them looked toward the doorway as a roguishly handsome boy that appeared to be in his late teens entered the hallway. With a bit of a swagger in his gait and a cheeky upturn of the left side of his mouth, this young man looked like he would be the popular boy in school with the girls, but an infamous scourge to any professor who had to teach him.

He continued to speak as he strode into the room and made a fast approach toward the trio. “I swear to Rassilon that if she keeps filling your head with love stories and fairy tales that you’ll end up regenerating into a girl.”

Theta looked momentarily panicked at the thought. He quickly shot a desperate look to the girls. “Please tell me I don’t.”

Rose chuckled. “No. But on your second you do carry around a recorder and have longish hair that looks like someone stuck a bowl on your head and used it as a guide to cut it.” She looked to Amy with a grin. “Not really his finest moment in the looks department, but he was still brilliant.”

Theta frowned. “A recorder?”

“An Earth wind instrument,” Rose answered with a shrug. “We all had to learn to play them in school. Frightfully annoying to our parents, which meant that we kids loved them.”

Amy held up three fingers. “I had three of them and knew how to play each of them at the same time.”

“Really,” Rose purred with a cheeky grin. “Does Rory know that?”

Amy winked. “He taught me how to do it.”

“Of course he did.” She looked toward the newcomer and extended her hand in introduction. “You must be Brax. Thete’s mentioned you, but hasn’t really told us all that much about you.”

Braxiatel arched a brow high and looked down at the proffered hand with curiosity andsuspicion. He didn’t take it in his. “Irving Braxiatel,” he announced with a flick of his eyes from Rose’s hand to her face. “Big brother to Thete here. And you are?”

Rose pulled back her hand and rubbed it against her tunic in slight embarrassment at being left hanging. “I’m Rose. Rose Tyler, and this is Amy Pond. We’re friends of your brother’s.”

“Actually,” Amy offered with a curl of herself around Rose so that she could stand in front of the newcomer. “To be more specific to that. I’m his mother in law, and Rose here is his bonded …” She frowned and looked to Rose. “What is it, again?”

Rose shrugged. “Wife?”

“Bond mate,” Theta corrected quickly. “It’s a designation that is far more significant than _wife_. It means that you’re my mate for life.”

Braxiatel chuckled with a shake of his head. “Well. You’re starting young, Thete. Good for you. Do mum and dad know about it, yet?” He shot a look at the girls. “And considering that I stand before a regenerating Time Lady and a Human woman who both don’t appear the type to take themselves a child partner, may I assume that you’re bonded to a future version of him and are here out of your time?”

Theta snorted a derisive huff. “You’ve had two decades at Cadon,” he charged. “You should be able to immediately tell they’re out of their time. I did and I’m only in my second year.”

Braxiatel rolled his eyes. “Of course I did, cobblemouse, I was trying to be smart.”

“Then you’ll need to try harder.”

Braxiatel rolled his eyes upward. “So. Anyway. You called me off campus for a reason. What is it?”

Thete frowned and looked around his brother toward the door. “Did you bring me a capsule like I asked?”

“Yeah,” he humphed as he thrust his thumb backward over his shoulder. “Top of the line model. Parked it just outside the door.”

Thete grinned widely. “Thanks. You’re the …”

“Of course I didn’t,” Braxiatel interrupted sharply. “Where in the name of Rassilon’s Robes do you think I’m going to get you a TT Capsule? Not to forget, how you expect me to fly the damn thing?”

Thete looked stunned. “But…”

“But _nothing_ , Brother.” He rubbed at his forehead with his palm. “Anything at Campus is traced and catalogued. They don’t move without express written consent from the faculty – and I can guarantee you that they’re not going to give it to me because I tell them that my brother needs it.” He ripped his hand from his face. “And for what reason could you _possibly_ have that warrants a stolen TT Capsule?”

“So what you’re saying is,” Thete growled darkly, “is that you’re not as sneaky and brilliant as you claim yourself to be.” He shrugged and put on a rather petulant sing-song voice of condescension. “Can’t even steal himself a little TT Capsule.” He pouted a rather brilliant poke of his bottom lip outward. “Bet I’d have no trouble stealing one.”

“I’m not symbiotically linked to them, am I, you little woprat,” Brax snarled. “My Capsule is almost a century away from being fully grown and ready for travel. I can’t link myself to one of the training capsules and hope to fly it – it’s impossible to do so. They’ve taken the sentience out of those machines and locked them down.”

Thete exhaled sharply. “And you couldn’t tell me this over the communicator, Brax? You had to come down here and waste our time just so, _what_ , you could gloat?”

Braxiatel shook his head. “No. I came here to help you troubleshoot whatever problem you have,” he admitted gently. He set his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Look. I know you, Thete. I know you’re not going to call in a favour or ask me for help if you didn’t absolutely need it.” He looked to the women. “And being that we have these two here, I’m going to hazard a guess that a version of you is in trouble right now and they’re calling for help.”

The side of Theta’s face crinkled up and he offered Braxiatel a devastatingly desperate look. “Brax. It’s Koschei.”

Braxiatel’s eyes flashed wide. “Is he okay?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted quietly. “I just know he’s up on a Dyrroen ship…”

“There’s one in Gallifrey airspace?”

“Highly advanced ship that’s operating with stolen Time Lord Technology from the future.”

Braxiatel looked horrified. “Are you saying …?” He shook his head. “No that’s impossible. The entire constellation is Time Locked!”

“Then what about us, then? We’re here out of our time.” Rose muttered with a raise of her hand to interject, but she was basically ignored.

Theta nodded slowly. “There’s been a distortion in the Time Lock and somehow they got through. My older self is up there trying to sort out the trouble…”

“And somehow Koschei’s gotten caught up in it all.” He raked his hand through his hair. “Yeah. It should surprise me, but it really doesn’t. You and him. Damn. Jeopardy friendly, the both of you.”

That distinction made Rose snort so hard that she had to wipe at her nose with the back of her hand. She waved off the curious looks of both boys. “Don’t mind me.”

Braxiatel curved a brow at her, but quickly looked back to his brother. “We should let the War Council know that there is an unfriendly up in our skies.”

Theta shook his head. “No. They’ll both be crucified by council – My future selves for being here out of time and Koschei for being up there.”

“Selves,” he barked back incredulously. “As in plural?”

He tugged on his brother’s tunic. “You have to help us.”

Braxiatel nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, Thete. I’ll help where I can, but we’re in a tough spot.” He looked to the girls. “I’ll assume you’re both without transport we can use.” As they nodded, he winced. “The only way up there is via transporter. “I’ve got a hopper in my quarters back at Cadon, but that wouldn’t do us any good even if I did have it. It’s only good for one body.”

Rose cleared her throat sharply to interrupt them. “Then send me up there.”

Braxiatel offered what Rose would later describe as the single most patronizing look she’d ever received –growing up on the Estate, _that_ was saying something – and gave a very amused chuckle. “How about you go and oh, I don’t know, do some tapestry or write a poem or something. Leave this discussion to the Lords.”

Both Amy and Rose dropped their jaws at that. Rose, however, chose to remark on it. “Your mother would slap you upside the head for that comment, Brax. I think you’ll find that she’d be rightly offended by that.”

“Mum is one of a kind,” he admitted. “And how do you know enough about her to speak of her to me?”

Rose smirked. “She’s the reason that we’re even here.”

“Why?” His breath caught and he spun sharply at a sudden screeching cry that filled the room. “Oh by Rassilon’s crest. Thete, we have to hide. _Now_.”

Theta nodded quickly as the screeching moved into a pushing and pulling wheeze and whine. “Yes. You’re right.” He looked desperately to the two girls. “We must take cover. Immediately.”

Amy peeped as a hand lightly met with the small of her back and Braxiatel gave her a light push to lead her toward the far corner of the room where there were heavy drapes and furniture to hide behind. “What the…? Get your hands of me!”

“We have to hide,” Braxiatel hissed to her. “For the love of whatever earthen deity you subscribe to don’t get us caught.” He watched as an upright cylindrical metal capsule materialized in the middle of the Great Hall. “I haven’t gotten my regeneration package yet. When he kills me, I’m gone for good.”

Rose ducked behind an ornately carved couch that had been quickly trundled in front of them and peered just the peek of her eyes over the back of it. “Who?”

“Our Dad,” both Braxiatel and Theta muttered at the same time.

“Oh.”

“We’re supposed to be at Cadon,” Theta whispered quickly. “If he finds us here at home, we’ll be in more trouble than your Doctor and Koschei are inside the Dyrroen ship.” He frowned. “I actually wish to Rassilon that I was up there right now.”

“Me too, Thete,” his brother agreed. “Me too.”

Amy giggled and bounced rather excitedly in place. “Oh! It looks like my day just got so much more interesting.”

Braxiatel snarled lightly at her. “This isn’t funny.”

“Yeah. It is.”

All four of them peered uneasily over the back of the couch as the capsule finally fully materialized and the doors opened with a loud creak. Both Theta and Braxiatel held their breaths as a tall and solid man with a close cut head of black hair and searing blue eyes stepped out of the capsule. He stretched his arms up over his head and inhaled deeply as though to draw in the full essence of the home. After a moment, he let his body relax and turned toward the open doors of the capsule. He held out his hand.

“Marissa, my beloved. We’re home.”

A slender hand found its way into his large hand and he tugged to draw her completely through the doors of the machine. He wasted no time in pulling her against his chest and lifting her feet off the ground.

“It’s solstice,” he informed her inside a deep and throaty purr. “And the children are at the Academy.”

Marissa giggled inside the circle of his arms. “Just what are you trying to say, my love?”

He released her waist to lovingly rake his fingers through her waist-length hair. “It means that we are alone. An entire house completely at our disposal.” He slid his hands to her hips and tugged her tight up against him as he leaned his mouth down to her ear. “It has been so long, my love, since we’ve had such an opportunity to express our love to each other in all of its impassioned and unbridled glory.”

She lifted her head in a playful chiding gesture as she tapped her finger against his collarbone. “We have travelled alone inside of the Capsule for nearly three months now. We have taken advantage of that quite a few times….”

“Ahh,” he breathed with an adoption of her expression to him. “But we had a sentient machine watching over us in those moments. Right now, it’s solely you and I.”

“You make your ship sound like a voyeur,” she giggled as she pulled back from her husband and smoothed out her clothing. “And need I remind you of our rapidly approaching commitments?”

“There is no such commitment that is more pressing than my need to take you to our marital bed or,” his eyes widened sharply. “Or…”

“Oh dear…”

“The Cadonwoods are in full bloom right now.” He grinned a wide and almost manic smile of excitement. “The view from the bluff on Mount Lung would be spectacular right now.”

“Are you suggesting we go sightseeing, Ulysses?”

“No,” he vowed as he snatched her toward him once more. He hauled her up against his chest to lift her from the floor. “I suggest that we explore the merits of making love at the base of a magnificent Cadonwood tree atop of Schlenk Blossoms on the bluffs that overlook the Cadon valley forests.” He chuckled a deep throaty purr as he lowered his mouth to her neck. He paused briefly when he thought that he may have heard a pained groan, but quickly shook it off as the house settling in the cool of the afternoon. “What do you think, my love. Shall we spend the rest of today igniting the bond between us?”

“While it’s tempting beyond all measure, my love,” she answered with a chuckle as she stepped away from hm. “We do have prior commitments that we must adhere to.”

“But…”

“But _nothing_ , Ulysses,” she admonished with a playful glare. “It is my precious son’s nameday today and I want to surprise him at the academy with a gift and a small cake – curse Gallifrey for not having such delicacies so that I can cheat instead of having to bake one of my own.”

“You spoil him, Marissa.”

“He is my son. It is his nameday and so he _should_ be spoiled.”  

“and then it stands to reason that the man who gave you such a precious gift should also be…” He yelped as she slapped his arm.

“Incorrigible you are,” she snapped indignantly. “Need I remind you that you have been summoned by Rassilon to attend a meeting at the Academy.” She looked at her watch. “Which has been scheduled for less than an hour from now. Ground transport will take up half of that time, alone…”

“Yes,” he challenged. “ _Half_ , not _all_. There is plenty of time to…”

“I know you well enough to know that if we engage, you will find yourself without time and be late.”

He thrust his hand behind him to point toward his capsule. “ _Time_ machine.”

“Kasterborean Time Lock,” she reminded him as she swept her hand in front of her to tell him to move. “Now scoot and find your robes. You can’t show up to a meeting of the Lords wearing your travel unform.”

“It hurts that you can reject me so easily, Marissa,” he ventured with the pout and a slump of a dejected man. “There lies deep within our bond a cry of desperation and agony that you should…” He was cut off swiftly by Marissa’s mouth colliding a bruising connected between them. Ulysses released a guttural groan inside her mouth as she mumbled that she would give him his moment and walked them both backward to press against the side of the Capsule. “This will do rather nicely,” he managed in a broken voice as Marissa tugged his tunic free from his trousers.

This time the moan of disgust was easily heard, although its point of origin was not so easily determined. Ulysses drew back sharply from his wife and narrowed his eyes to a heated glare as he drew Marissa behind hm. “Who is it that trespasses on this home?”

Braxiatel dropped onto his butt behind the couch and dropped his forehead into his hand. “Sepulchasm,” he growled in a whisper.

“Why’d you have to make a sound,” Theta snarled in an accusatory whisper.

“Because I had to witness _that_!”

Amy held in her chuckle. “Oh, judging by the persistence of your Dad, I’m surprised that it’s the first time you’ve gotten a glimpse.”

“It’s not,” he moaned.

Amy tapped thoughtfully at her lip. “That would explain the Doctor’s lack of interest in the nookie department – I mean if I saw my folks at it…” She chuckled. “Good thing about not having folks, I guess.”

Ulysses’ voice bellowed out again. “I order you to show yourself this instant and perhaps I might not have you arrested by the peacekeepers.”

Theta winced. “Oh. We’re dead.” He shot a look toward a Grudge and flicked his head toward the direction of his father in a request for assistance. “Help us,” he mouthed to the mighty wooden servant.

It didn’t move. In fact, had it been capable of smirking, he truly believed it would have.

Ulysses kept his hand protectively around Marissa’s wrist holding her behind him. His eyes raked through the room to finally settle on the long table littered with half-completed tinkering projects. With a growl and a huff he released his wife’s hand and holded his arms tightly against his chest.

“Theta Sigma, you will come out of hiding now,” he bellowed angrily. “Come out and show yourself.”

Marissa looked slightly confused and touched both hands lightly to Ulysses arm. “Thete’s at the academy.”

“Oh no he’s not.”

“What makes you think…” Her eyes followed Ulysses line of sight toward the table and she let out a long sigh. “Oh, Thete.”

“Who else in this household would make a mess like that,” he charged with a snarl. “Noone but that insolent young boy of yours.”

“Oh I like how he’s always _mine_ when he does something you don’t like.”

Ulysses ignored her. “Theta Sigma, I swear upon the crest of Rassilon that when I get my hands on you you’ll wish you were never loomed. Stop being a coward and show yourself.”

Marissa snarled a warning growl toward her husband. “When you speak to him in that manner I support his cowardice.” Her arms folded tightly across her chest. “Really, when you speak of him in that way your feelings toward your son can be quite easily misinterpreted as disdain.”

“I love that child more than I do myself,” he declared. “But when he does something as foolhardy as to skip his Cadon lectures, he must he appropriately reprimanded.”

“And you tell me that what you believe is _appropriate,_ ” she challenged on a low voice. “Is terrifying him?”

Theta writhed on the floor behind the couch. He knew that his father was extremely angry with him right now – and the ire was most justified – and he also knew that the longer he kept Ulysses waiting the worse his punishment was going to be. His mother could only protect him for so long.

“You stay here, Brax,” he whispered bravely. “He thinks I’m the only one home. I’ll face the beast.”

“Are you nuts?”

“There are currently three of me here in this time,” he answered back in a harsh whisper. “I’ve also got two of my wives here and am willingly putting them in the same room at the same time.” He huffed. “If I’m not already insane, I think that proves I finally will be.”

“You’re a good brother,” Braxiatel answered dramatically.

Theta slowly drew himself to a stand over the back of the couch. He swallowed thickly before clearing his throat to draw his father’s attention. “Dad? Can you help me?”

Ulysses spun quickly to the sound of his son’s voice. Any desire to immediately draw the young boy across his knee for a good spanking immediately fell when he saw the dejected look on his little face. He      stooped in a walk toward him and opened his arms to his child. “Thete, what’s happened?”

Theta moved quickly from the couch. He launched into a jog that quickly became a run toward his father. He collided hard with Ulysses’ belly and wrapped his arms tightly around him. “Dad. It’s Koschei. He’s in trouble.”

Ulysses dropped to a knee so that he could allow himself to look up at his child instead of looming over him. With all the tenderness of a father he took Theta’s hands in his and set them on his knee. “What kind of trouble is he in, Thete, and how can I help? Is it the Academy? Are his cousins still giving him a hard time?”

Theta pressed his lips together and shook his head. Then he nodded. Then he shook his head again. “Well yes, they are, but that doesn’t especially bother him.”

“Then what is it?” Marissa asked softly. “Go ahead, Thete, you won’t get into trouble.”

Theta looked to his mother and smiled a warm smile at her. “Mother how I have missed you.”

“And I you,” she vowed with a smile. “Now tell us, my son, what’s happened to your little friend?”

“It’s more than just young Koschei,” Rose Tyler called softly as she moved around the couch to stand at her future husband’s side.

Ulysses’ eyes shot a fiery glare upward to the intruder. “Who are you,” he snarled threateningly. “And why are you here alone with my child?”

“My name is Rose,” she answered slowly. She walked toward Ulysses and held out her hand in greeting. She could see by the curious look of the older man that he recognized the gesture, but he made no move to take her hand. “Rose Tyler. I’m a Time Lord born on Earth to Human parents almost nine hundred years from now. I currently live in a parallel world as the bond mate to your son.” She swallowed hard. “And I’m the reason that Koschei’s in trouble.”

 

 

 


	46. Disbelief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ulysses has a few questions and a few threats to make ... Meanwhile the lads - who seem to have forgotten about their friend Rory being holed up in the TARDIS - get themselves into a teeny tiny bit of mischief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short on time again. Fast write over a lunch break...

The heavy footfalls of the two Doctors, River song and Koschei thundered loudly inside the narrow corridor that led from the engine room to where they hoped that the TARDISes were parked. Things hadn’t gone incredibly well after the arrival of the Eleventh Doctor to lend a hand. No. In fact the situation had gone from bad to much much worse when the baby-faced 900 year old time Lord had casually reminded Commander Vooax about their last encounter and the humiliating defeat he’d suffered against a man armed with nothing but a sonic Screwdriver.

“ _A Fully armed war machine,_ ” he had purred with a look through his floppy fringe at Vooax. “ _Weaponry and soldiers capable of taking down entire civilisations, and it took one man. One. To stop you and send you along your merry way_.”

Needless to say Vooax considered those words a challenge and had immediately call to arms all of his men with a promise that they were going to take control of Arcadia and bring Gallifrey to her knees. Victory to Dyrroes and all of her beloved children.

“Did you ever think,” Tentoo groused with a pant as he twisted around a corner and held up his Sonic Screwdriver with the intent to unlock a heavy steel door. “That sometimes it might be a good thing to stop bragging and just keep your mouth shut?”

Eleven actually grinned at that comment. “So do I give you just one retort, or do I cycle through every available response to what you just said?”

He frowned at his Sonic when it refused to light up and hit the head of it against his hand. “You just invoked a war on Gallifrey. You know that right?” He tried his sonic again and frowned when it refused to respond. “What in Rassilon is going on with this thing?”

“Tell me that you weren’t just itching to say the same thing that I just did, Doctor. Tell me.”

“Point is,” he argued with a tired glare. “I didn’t. Did I?”

He held his own Sonic Screwdriver to the doorway. “If I didn’t, you would’ve. Admit it.” His lip curled when his Sonic refused to activate. “Mine’s not working, either.”

“Oh how very clever,” Tentoo growled with just a hint of awe. “Vooax has somehow gotten hold of the sonic frequency and has found a way to block it.” He rubbed at his jaw. “But how? It’s not a frequency that’s very easily traced.”

Eleven slumped his shoulders and raised his face to look up at the ceiling. “You really have to ask? They’ve got stolen Time Lord Technology in here. We both know who the thief is, and just how well he happens to know…” He waved his inactive sonic screwdriver from side to side. “…This thing.”

“Well, we’ve got to find a way to deactivate their dampening field, don’t we? If he’s locked out our Sonics, then just what do you think he’s done with TARDIS?”

Eleven’s jaw fell. “I didn’t think of that.”

“Yeah,” Tentoo panted. “Let’s hope _he_ didn’t either.” He felt around a doorway looking for a panel that might give them a way to find a door release. “T-40’s deregistered now, so maybe her time signature was ….:” He stopped talking at the condescending glare from his brother. “Wow. So _that’s_ what it feels like, huh?”

“Pardon me?”

“To have some self-righteous ass-clown look at you as though you’re dribbling on your shirt.” He actually flicked his fingers on his lapel as though divesting it of said dribble. “I think I’ve officially got about ten different apologies I need to make to the many companions I’ve given _that_ look to.”

River Song growled over her shoulder at the two men sparring a verbal battle behind her. She’d taken to standing guard over the corridor. Being the only one who carried a firearm it made sense.

“Will the two of you let it drop for five minutes,” she snarled. “There is a time and a place for everything, but now isn’t the time for a pissing war.”

“Especially not when we’re facing the reality of a real one,” Koschei offered darkly. “I am alongside my River Song on this point, Thete. Your back and forward barbs are becoming quite tiresome.”

Tentoo looked to Eleven. “Did we just get schooled by a nine year old?”

“I believe so.”

“You’re a bossy little Woprat, aren’t you, Koschei,” Tentoo muttered as he held out his hand to him. “Now if you wouldn’t mind.”

Koschei frowned in confusion to Tentoo’s request. “If I wouldn’t mind _what_ , Thete?”

He flicked his fingers at him. “I know you have it, Koschei,” he said with along suffering sigh. “Your Chapterhouse mess-blade. I know you don’t leave without it; it’s always in your waistband under your tunic.”

Koschei stared at him a moment and made no attempt to move or offer across the requested item. His eyes merely latched onto Tentoo’s gaze.

“Koschei, do you want out of here or not,” he snarled. “I need entry to this panel and unfortunately I might _damage my manicure_ if I try to rip it open with my fingernails…”

“Damage your _what_?”

He huffed. “Just hand it over. Rassilon, I’m not going to steal it.”

Eleven leaned against the wall. “Even though he originally stole it from us?”

“Beside the point,” Tentoo hissed as he forcibly lifted Koschei’s tunic and snatched the knife from his waistband. When the young boy protested, he made a point of showing him the handle. “The crest of Lungbarrow,” he growled. “Not Oakdown. This one was a gift to me from Quences on my fourth name day, so don’t be a shit and argue with me. You’ll get it back.”

“I had better get it back,” Koschei spat indignantly.

Tentoo rolled his eyes and then pressed the tip of his tongue against the back of his teeth as he focused on prying open the access panel door. “River, keep an eye on the corridor, please. I’m getting that claustrophic feeling, so they can’t be too far off.”

She held up her weapon and nodded as she focused along the barrel of the weapon. “I’m getting that same tingling feeling, Doctor. I’ll hold back what I can. IS there anyway of you dripping a bulkhead door between us and them?”

“Working on it,” he sang as he popped open the door and set the knife in between his teeth to fiddle though the wires. “What a mess,” he remarked around the blade of the knife. “Chinny, you want give me a hand in here?”

“Scootch,” Eleven ordered as he shifted to stand shoulder to shoulder with his Meta Crisis self. He groaned in pity for any mechanic who would be tasked with having to decipher this set up. “Can you make sense of this rubbish?”

“More that you’d think,” he admitted with a grunt as he threaded his fingers in through a mass of wiring in an attempt to take hold of just the one. “Did you happen to take a look at their Transpower System,” he quietly queried his brother.

Eleven nodded. “There were a pair of artronic resonators – model 71 – regulating the transpower system.” He huffed. “Hard to miss.”

“Artron isn’t easily available outside of Kasterborous,” Tentoo said with a grunt as he tugged on a particularly disagreeable wire. “There is absolutely no reason for them to be using those resonators unless they somehow have access to a renewable artron energy supply.” He stopped his tinkering for a moment to close his eyes and inhald a worried breath. “Or they’ve MacGyvered the Eye of Harmony.”

“Don’t say that,” Eleven snapped. “The implications of the Dyrroen army knowing how to fully utlilize the Eye and her Power…”

“Just be thankful that they could only possibly have access to one,” Tentoo muttered as he went back to task. “We could – with a sensational amount of effort – be able to neutralize the power of the Eye by using our TARDISes to initiate and reactivate the dying process of the star.”

“This ship couldn’t possibly be big hold the eye,” Eleven argued. “They might have stolen Time Lord Technology and bluffed their way through it, but they haven’t managed to figure out transdimensional technology.”

“They have a stolen TARDIS, yeah?”

Eleven nodded. “Good point.”

“And add to the good a very very bad point,” Tentoo pointed out. “Artron regulators have been installed _outside_ the TARDIS, which is where the appropriate waste protections for artron are located.”

Eleven winced as he nodded with rapid realization. “And, because artron energies exist only on Gallifrey and her surrounding sister planets, andis an energy source only ever used by the Time Lords, we can assume that there have been no considerations given to the safe ventilation and disposal of artron by-product waste and gasses outside of the TARDIS.”

Tentoo gulped at the thought. “and if they haven’t…”

“Then we’re all standing in a gigantic ticking time bomb,” Eleven continued.

Koschei looked nervous as he listened to the two Doctor’s talk each other through the problem. His voice shook just slightly when he spoke. “Should we notify the War Council, then?”

Tentoo shook his head rather aggressively. “No. No. No no no no no. We can’t do that.” He looked to Eleven. “If we notify anyone on the ground, they’ll materialize up here like a group of rampaging wilderbeasts.” He flicked his arm in a dismissive manner in an attempt to emphasise just how much he didn’t want Time Lord involvement. “They’ll only trigger the explosion.”

“The council are here to protect us,” Koschei ventured weakly. “And they should know to begin ground evacuations.”

“We can stop it,” Eleven vowed sharply. “He and I – Doctors Ten and Eleven – we can stop it.”

“Got any idea just how?” Tentoo queried with a side smirk as he leaned his elbow on the wall and pressed his fist into the side of his head to look upon his brother with relaxed laziness. “Cause I’m right out of ideas.”

“I’ll think of something,“ Eleven assured with a nod of his head and a wave of his hand as he began to pace. “I’m the Doctor, planning is what I do best.”

“ _Well_ ,” Tentoo called out in a sing-song tone that quite clearly questioned the Doctor’s comment. “Others would suggest different _attributes_ you have that you may excel at a little more than _planning._ ”

Eleven stopped his pacing and pointed a sharp finger into Tentoo’s chest. “You’re either about to get insulting or crude, and I’d rather not have to hear either.” He folded his arms across his chest. “Now. How about you finish going about opening that door so that we’ll actually have some form of chance of being able to actually do something to get this ticking time bomb out of Kasterborous and into a black hole out here Dyrroes.”

Tentoo grinned a wide and toothy smile. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yep!” He touched at a wire and a mighty hiss of hydraulics swirled around them. “One exit,” he announced as he bowed and extended his arm. “After you my brother.”

“Oh no,” River Song sang as she pushed in between the two Doctors and fell into a swayed sashay as she shot them a cheeky wink. “Ladies first,” she purred as she held her gun up against her lips and ran her hand rather seductively down her side. “I’ll let you know when it’s all clear.”

Tentoo remained in hos light stoop of a bow, Eleven remained still in his stance. Both men watched her with gaping mouths and widened eyes. Tentoo swallowed thickly. “And you haven’t made a move…”

“That’s really none of your business,” Eleven managed around a gulp. “But. No. I haven’t.”

Tentoo slapped him on the shoulder a couple of times. “The good ones don’t come along all that often, Chins. And her – I think she’d give you a decent run for your money.”

“She does,” he groused.

“Then what are you waiting for?” He winked and jumped an exaggerated leap over the door track.

“I’m waiting for Rose to dump you,” he called out in response as he followed with slightly less exuberance. “And judging by how livid she was with you when I last saw her, it won’t take very long.”

He looked up as he fully emerged through the one-foot thick door and gasped in horror. He had to take a rather long and uncoordinated stride backward. “Oh by the Gods… No…”

 

~~oooOOOooo~~

 

_“My name is Rose,” she answered slowly. She walked toward Ulysses and held out her hand in greeting. She could see by the curious look of the older man that he recognized the gesture, but he made no move to take her hand. “Rose Tyler. I’m a Time Lord born on Earth to Human parents almost nine hundred years from now. I currently live in a parallel world as the bond mate to your son.” She swallowed hard. “And I’m the reason that Koschei’s in trouble.”_

Ulysses could do little more than maintain a neutral stare at the woman standing in front of him as he let his mind try to process what she had just said. It was a lot to say inside a pair of sentences. Quite a lot, actually.

Finally, he cleared his throat and shifted a little in his crouch. He wanted to ensure that he had as short a fall as possible when he finally toppled over completely in shock – because that was about where he saw this was about to head – and stayng down on one knee would provide him the stability he needed to hold as firm as possible for as long as possible.

“So,” he managed with a croak. He then strengthened his voice to continue. “If I’m to understand you correctly, young lady…”

“Rose,” she corrected calmly, with just a tiny splash of authority. “Call me Rose, or Arkytior as your son prefers.”

“They are words that are one in the same,” Ulysees informed her with very little cordiality in his tone. “However, Time Lords and Humans are not.”

Rose blinked a slow close of her eyes. When they opened, she locked brown with blue. “When a TARDIS decides to intervene, apparently there isn’t much difference between the two.”

“And what is a TARDIS?”

“Time and Relative Dimension in Space,” she answered flatly. “Otherwise referred to as a TT Capsule.” She looked toward the capsule seated at the side of the room. “And speaking of. I’m going to need to borrow yours.”

Ulysees eyes widened at that. His eyes widened, he inhaled deeply, he then smiled and nodded. “Well of course you can borrow it – young stranger who I’ve only just met – let me go and get you the keys.”

“There’s no need to patronize me,” she growled back at him.

“Oh I disagree,” he answered back as he drew himself up to his full height and made a point of looming high over her. He smiled at the way she had to crane her neck in order to maintain eye contact. “You see, _Arkytior_. A TT Capsule is a very specialized and highly sensitive machine. It is not a toy for adolescents to take on joyrides around the constellation.”

“I am acutely aware of that,” she answered without even so much as a waver in her voice to suggest that she was in any way intimidated by him. “I happened to have grown and birthed my own TARDIS so I so know how sensitive and specialized they are. I’m not asking to take yours on a happy little jaunt through time and space – however tempting it may be – I ask because my bondmate is in danger and I have to find my way to him.”

“Your bondmate, who is also my son,” he asked flatly.

“Yes.”

“From nine hundred years in the future.”

“Give or take.”

He scratched at the two-day stubble on his jaw and tapped his foot on the ground. “And you just expect me to believe that you’ve managed to break the Time Lock that protects this planet. _You_. A Human girl who claims to be Time Lord.”

“I am Time Lord,” she came back with a shrug. “I mean if regenerating, telepathy, time sensing – I see what was, what is, and what will be, are the typical traits of a Lord or Lady of time. To be honest I really don’t know and I don’t particularly care to analyze it. I just want to get a transport to get to my husband and pull him out of trouble so that I may inflict some of my own against him.” She folded her arms across her chest and rolled up slightly onto her toes in an attempt to try and close the height gap between them. “And when we consider that my husband is also your son, I would hope that you’d be willing to help me to help him.”

“Which son?”

“Does it matter?”

“Is your husband - my son – a fully regenerating Lord of Time?”

“He is.”

He gave a firm nod. “Then yes, it does matter which one. Because whichever of my children is so foolish and disrespectful to have crossed back onto his own Time-Line – even though the laws against doing such are quite clear – worse, sabotaging the Time Lock of Kasterborous in order to cross into his own Time Stream, is going to find himself swiftly removed from Cadon studies.”

“In other words,” she breathed in response. “You’re willing to invoke a paradox and the reapers to Gallifrey by changing the personal history of your own child?”

“It’s either that or I kill him,” Ulysses snarled with a look of fire toward his youngest. “Either action will result in a rather spectacular paradox, wouldn’t you say?” He rolled his eyes art Marissa’s weary groan of his name. He responded with a huffed breath of her name.

“No,” Rose countered with a forced laugh. “You won’t be killing him.” Before he could offer her a derisive comment, she licked at her lip and tightened the fold of her arms across her chest. “Because on that action I get the first right of refusal. I don’t care that you’re the Lord who sired him. He’s my husband and he’s pissed me off beyond any reasoning. If he is to be put into regeneration by anyone – it’s going to be me.”

There was a slight tick of a smile that tugged at the very corner of Ulysses’ mouth. He valiantly attempted to shield it from her. “Well I hardly think _that’s_ fair.”

Amy popped up over the back of the couch and very cheekily leaned against it, her arms folded loosely and pressed into the cushions. “Well there is the option that you could take one each.” She pointed to Rose. “She can take Doctor number Ten and you can have the Raggedy Eleventh version.”

Rose dropped her forehead into her palm and groaned out Amy’s name.

Amy held both hands up and backed off a single step. Her face was a portrait of pure innocence. “I was just trying to mediate and give options. Fair’s fair and all that.”

Ulysses clenched his fists a moment. He licked at his lip. He blew out a breath. He calmed himself down. “I have several questions right at this moment – the most pressing one right now being: _And just who are you in relation to my son?_ ”

Amy skipped around the couch and bounded happily up toward Ulysses. Having seen Rose get rejected twice on handshakes, she knew better than to offer hers. Instead she dipped her head to one side and tipped her hip to one side. “I’m Amy. Not married to either one of your sons, but I am the mother of the girl he eventually takes as his wife.”

“So you’re the mother to Arkytior?”

“No, to River Song.”

Ulysses frowned but nodded. “So one of you belongs to Thete and the other Brax?” He glared to the couch. “And speaking of. Irving Braxiatel. I know that you lurk behind that couch and order you to face me.”

Braxiatel jumped up immediately. He held his hands up in surrender and very cautiously strode toward his father. “For the record, none of these are mine, although…” He raked his eyes up and down Amy’s slender form. “Is River Song as stunning as her mother?”

“Nice try.”

Ulysses covered his mouth in his hand and frowned as he looked at the two girls. One of them was most definitely human and the other – well while she was most certainly Time Lord, there was also something very _human_ about her.

“If I am to understand you, young Arkytior. You are the future bondmate to my son Theta Sigma.” She nodded and he passed a look to Amy. “And you are the Mother to the wife he will take _after_ Arkytior?”

Amy looked right and ready to confidently answer that question and even had her finger raised ready to exclaim that her was perfectly on the mark. Before she could utter a sound, she frowned and dropped her hand. “That’s a yes _and_ no question, isn’t it, Rose?”

“Kind of,” she breathed. Rose looked to Ulysses with a defeated expression. “It's a super confusing situation that I thinki even we're having a tough time keeping up with.  _But_.  You’re a Time Lord. You get this whole wibbly wobbly Time thing, right?”

“One would hope so.”

“Well,” she began on a breath. “My Doctor and her Doctor. They’re the same man, but they’re not _really_ the same man – knowwhatImean?”

“Regenerations can be confusing to some,” he offered. “But while we appear to be a different person on the outside and have slightly different personalities, we are essentially the same person.”

Amy and Rose shared a look. Amy dropped a brow and shook her head. “No. These two lads are very very different men.” She then paused and tapped at her lip. “No. But then again. They are kind of similar, Rose. They have that annoying tinkering, excited little boy travel bug, arse-rodded anal retentiveness in common.”

Rose nodded. “That's very true. It was like this morning, when me and River were trying to convince him to let us take the TARDIS to the academy…”

“Are you telling me,” Ulysses suddenly bellowed with a glare at his youngest son. “That there are two more versions of my son here on Gallifrey?”

“Well _technically,_ they’re 545,000 feet _above_ Gallifrey’s surface fighting on a Dyrroen ship for the safety of this planet…”

“I am going to kill him,” Ulysses snarled quite clearly ignoring whatever Rose had to say. “Forget merely pulling him out of the academy. I am going to string his insolent self in this – the Great Hall of Lungbarrow - up and kill him.”

"Dad!" Theta whimpered.  "I haven't done anything."

"Not yet," he snarled.  "And I'm going to stop it before you can so it."

Marissa rolled her eyes and shook her head at her fuming husband. “Oh, Ulysses. Do calm yourself before you have a hearts attack,”she breathed softly. She held her hands out to take Rose’s within hers and analyzed her face for a long moment. “It is true that you are the holder of my son’s hearts.”

Rose nodded. “Yes. Please help me to help him, Mother,” she begged in a quiet whisper.

“My daughter,” she breathed in awe as she raised her hands to touch her fingers against Rose’s jaw. “Close your eyes and let me see him.”

Rose shook her head. “No. There are things in there that I don’t want you to see.” She swallowed. “Things you shouldn’t know.”

“That’s okay,” Marissa assured her. “Then block them from my sight.”

“How?”

“Lock it up tight, and I won’t look.” Marissa whispered her request for contact with Rose’s mind and closed her eyes as she initiated the connective pathway between them. One the surge of the young woman’s emotional distress crashed through her mind, Marissa found herself inhaling a desperate gasp.

They seemed connected for only a few seconds befor Marissa abruptly severed their contact and staggered backward and away from Rose. Her hand shot to her mouth as her eyes turned pink and filled with tears.

“By the Gods.” She shook her head. “You can’t be…”

Rose shook herself to rid the sudden emptiness that accompanied Marissa’s withdrawl from her mind. She kept her head low and her eyes closed as she held onto the bond she shared with her husband. she cracked her neck slowly as the connection withthe Doctor flared and she felt the emotions currently driving him onward in his mission in the sky.   “Did you see what you needed to see,” she asked softly without raising her head.

When Marissa did little more than shake her head, Ulysses stepped forward. He set himself in between Rose and Marissa and lowered his head to glare through his lashes at her. “Who are you,” he demanded.

There was a sudden jolt of alarm that shot through her and Rose slowly lifted her head to look upon Ulysses through golden eyes. She breathed in the wildly blowing breeze that had picked up and seemed to swirl just around her.  she lowered her head to glare toward him as he glared toward her. “I am Rose Tyler,” she sang hauntingly. “I am the Bad Wolf and the protector of the Storm.”

“Impossible,” Ulysses hissed with a shake of his head as he staggered backward. “You’re a myth.”

“I am not a myth,” Rose assured him as the light inside her eyes intensified and focused on the capsule standing silently behind him.

Ulysses looked back at his capsule and started with a stunned cough when the machine started to shift and shimmer into a Blue Box. Her lights flashed and her doors rattled in anticipation. “What in the name of Rassilon’s crest?”

“My Doctor is in trouble,” she continued as her eyes fell away from Ulysses and slid apologetically toward Theta’s surprised and terrified expression from around his father’s hip. “The Storm is surging, he’s in pain.” Her eyes flicked back up to Ulysses and the soft expression of song turned into a voice of demand. “He needs his wolf. I need your TARDIS.”

Ulysses shook his head. “I don’t have one of these TARDIS things that you’re talking about.”

She lifted her hand to point at the machine to the side of the Great Hall. “Your capsule.” She looked back to him. “I need it.”

“Well you can’t have it,” he snarled. “She won’t fly for anyone but me.

“Well,” Rose purred with a smile. “Looks like you’re coming, too, doesn’t it?” She clapped her hand. “Come on, Amy Pond. Thete. Let’s go.”

As she strode past Ulysses, he grabbed a fistful of her tunic and tugged her forcefully toward him. “No _child_ will make demands of me, of my time, of my technology or of my family. I have had enough of your games. Whoever you are, you will leave my home before I haul you up before council.”

“You are either with me, _or_ ,” she challenged darkly. Her eyes then shifted toward a towering Grudge looming at the side of the room. Her eyes flashed a deep gold and the Grudge disintegrated into glittering light and dust. She looked back to Ulysses. “Or you’re against me. It’s your choice.”

 


	47. Sentient Machines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The landing party make their way to the Dyrroen ship to lend a hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marcela: Because you mentioned that you've missed them, here's a tale about my Whovian Child for you: Did you know that there is banana flavoured coffee now? Surprisingly it tastes better than you'd imagine, and my little Whovian decided that because the Doctor loves all things banana that he simply had to do the Doctor a favour and try out this beverage for himself. Although I told him no, and I did my best to hide away the K-Cups, the little sneak went ahead and made himself one, and added Chocolate syrup to hide the smell so I couldn't tell.  
> 2am in the morning rolls around and I am alerted by the robotic threat of EXTERMINATE coming from his room. I investigate and find myself concerned as to why my little one is huddled under his TARDIS blanket clutching his Dalek pillow to his chest sobbing because he couldn't go to sleep. I try all the tricks at a mother's disposal thinking that maybe it was a nightmare and he simply needed snuggles. On goes the TARDIS lamp and I pry the Dalek from his arms and settle in for snuggles ... Some time later he's still upset and still wide awake. Then he admits to me that he made himself a banana coffee and that being a Time Lord who doesn't sleep must suck. At around 3am I think he finally crashed... I'd like to think that he learned his lessen, but alas ... He'll probably do it again... Did I ever tell you about the night he snuck the Dalek pillow under my head so that when I rolled onto it at 3am and it bellowed EXTERMINATE he could run in with his sonic screwdriver to save me? He also had my phone in hand so he could play the TARDIS materialization sound as be bounded in for my rescue...

Ulysses was awed, yet aghast, at the creature that stood in front of him.  She called herself the Bad Wolf – a character that only existed in the ancient and fantastic tales that Gallifreyan parents told to their loomlings before bed.  There was no way that the woman in front of him was the legend of lore.  It was impossible.

He gasped as the Grudge disintegrated before his eyes in a wash of glittering amber.  He expected it to be reduced to ash; that the girl had somehow used trickery to set it aflame; but was horrified to see a small pile of dust, not ash, in its place.

“Impossible,” he breathed even as Rose threatened to do the same to him if he was to go against her.  He couldn’t shield the terror in his eyes that begged her not to do the same to his family.  She could take his home, steal his capsule, harm him, but he wouldn’t let her harm his wife and children.

“Take it,” he offered inside a pleading breath.  “Take what you need from this home.  Kill me if you desire.  But please don’t hurt my family.”

Rose tipped her head curiously to one side.  She looked slightly put out by his plea.  “You misunderstand,” she said lightly.  “I want to _save_ your family, not harm them.”

“I will offer you my dedicated service and do whatever it is you ask of me.”  He swallowed and looked to his youngest son who was curled around his hip.  “I only ask that you keep my children and my wife clear of your plans.”

“Silly Lord,” she said with an almost mocking laugh as she held out her hand to him.  “Right now you and yours are the safest people in the universe.”  She lightly nodded her head.  “However, we have to move quickly or Kasterborous may find itself with one less planet in her constellation.”

“What do you mean,” Ulysses asked worriedly.

“You really don’t want to know,” she muttered under her breath. 

Ulysses inhaled deeply and licked at his parched lips.  He turned to offer a longing and apologetic look toward his wife.  “My love, remember for whom my hearts beat.”

“You come home to me, Ulysses.  That’s the promise you make.”

He took her hand in his and pressed his lips lovingly against her knuckles.  “I will return to you as I always do.”  He separated from her and shot Rose a look of despondency before he strode toward the TARDIS.  “I’ll prepare the Capsule for flight.  You’ll need to provide me with the landing coordinates.”

Theta jogged after his father.  “I can provide that, Dad.”

He spun to his son with a look of horror.  “Thete, no.  Stay here with your mother.”

“That’s my best friend up there,” he snapped indignantly.  “And _me_ twice over.  I’m going and you aren’t going to tell me I can’t.”

“I am going to do just that, young Lord,” he growled.  “Do as you’re told and stay here with your mother.”

“I will not,” he rumbled petulantly.  “You need me, anyway.  I know the coordinates and the girls don’t.”

“Of course not,” he snarled toward Rose.  “Why would you?”

“Dad…”

“Don’t you leave my sight, Thete.  Don’t you step more than three feet away from me at any time.”  He slammed open the doors of the capsule and stalked inside.  “In fact, take my hand and don’t you let go.”

Marissa and Amy walked to stand beside Rose, whose eyes were still aglow.

“They are my life,” Marissa pleaded on a steady voice.  “You will bring the both of them home.”

“I promise you.”

“Keep that promise, child,” she demanded hotly.  “I want to hold my husband and children tonight.”

“You will.  And then you will make them forget,” Rose ordered firmly.  She shifted her eyes to the red-headed beauty of the Lungbarrow home.  “Leave Thete with just enough to know that he had a brilliant day, but not enough to remember who I am and what I had to do today.”

“Understood, my daughter,” she vowed.  She then offered a warm smile.  “I look forward to meeting you again.”

Rose returned her smile.  “…and then ordering us to come back here to reunite your family.”

Her eyes flashed wide and she couldn’t help a very short gasp.  “This is _my_ fault?”

“Well,” Amy muttered with a scratch of her head.  “You were the reason that we all got together, yeah.  But as for ending up here and now? Nah, that’s just because the Doctor’s a rubbish pilot.”

Rose took Amy’s hand. “We should go.”  She spared Marissa a last glance.  “Until we meet again, Mother.  Take care of my little husband to be.”

Marissa watched as the doors closed behind Rose and Amy without fear or concern.  She couldn’t exactly understand why, but she knew without a doubt that her boys would return home.

“Mother?”

She shifted her gaze toward her eldest son as the time ship dematerialized in front of them.  With a terrifically tender touch she lifted her hand to stroke at his hair.  Even though he was still in his teens, Braxiatel towered over his mother.  “Are you okay, my son?”

“Slightly confused, maybe, but other than that I’m okay.”  He put his arm across Marissa’s shoulder.  “So this _Bad Wolf_ …”

Marissa inhaled deeply.  “It’s just a story, Brax.”

“But…?”

She leaned into her son’s shoulder and continued to stroke at his head.  “You must be tired.  Would you like to rest?”

“Not really.  I’m not exactly…”  He let out a yawn as Marissa’s fingers began to stroke lightly at his temples.  “Well, maybe a little.”

“Hush my child.  Let me tell you a story to help you to sleep.”

 

~~oooOOOooo~~

 

Ulysses danced around the console of his ship like a man lost.  His capsule’s interior was barely recognizable as it had changed back to its most organic state.  Long arms of coral weaved and twisted around each other to melt into the walls of the console room.  The roundels he was so used to had been replaced by hundreds of small round and orange lights.  The majestic column in the centre of the room, which groaned and wheezed as it pumped invisible artron energies into the regulators for flight was now nothing more than a cylindrical glass tube that glowed enough blue light to illuminate the console deck with a dull light.  The faces around him all looked gaunt and haunted in the dim light.

“What have you done to my ship,” he queried on a quiet voice.  “She’s changed.”

“She’s shed her fancy dress,” Rose answered on a dual voiced breath.  “She’s had to throw off her chains to reach into her own consciousness to help me.”

“Excuse me?”

“This is her heart,” she answered with a tender stroke to the console top.  “This is her natural state.”  She looked along the console and into the organic design of the ceiling.  “And she’s absolutely beautiful.”

“You’re responsible for this,” he charged.  “You’ve taken out her defenses.  We’re now vulnerable to any attack.”

Rose shook her head.  The glow in her eyes shifted slower than the movement of her head to wash amber light around her face.  “She did this to herself.  She’s removed the Time Lord from her consciousness.  It’s the only way she can get in undetected.”

Ulysses shook his head and clutched at his son’s hand.  “You’ll get us all killed.”

“Give your TARDIS a little credit,” she said with a laugh.  “She’ll never let that happen.  These beautiful girls are far more brilliant than you Lords give them credit for.  She wants to survive this as much as you do and she’ll do whatever it takes to bring everyone home safely.”

“You are a fool child who doesn’t have a clue,” he barked.  “How old are you?  100?  150?”

“Twenty five,” she answered coolly.  “In Earth years.”  She couldn’t help but push that knife in just a little deeper – bloody arrogant Time Lords.  “And I’ve been Time Lord for all of six days.”

If he didn’t have one hand on the console and the other tightly clutched around that of his child, Ulysses would have fallen to the grating at his feet.  “You,” he gasped.  “You’re nothing but a child – a toddler!”

Her face hardened at the cry within the TARDIS heart that gave her warning to the trouble outside and to say they were nearing their landing destination.  “I am Bad Wolf,” she clarified.  “The daughter of the Goddess of time and space.”

“You are a fool.”

“A fool is the one who follows,” she corrected.  “Now.” She pointed to the materialization lever.  “Set us down.”

He growled as he shoved the lever downward.  “I am not following you, you insolent child,” he corrected.  “I am here under duress.”

“Admit it,” she challenged with a grin.  “Your adrenaline is flowing and your eyes reflect your excitement of going into battle.  This thrills you.”

He steeled a look of annoyance toward her.  “My young child is involved in this, as is his young friend.  Don’t misread my intentions.”

She swanned by him.  “Admit it,” she sang hauntingly.  “It’s the Thrill of being a Lord.  My Doctor loves this bit.”

“Then you and he are a perfect coupling.  You’re as insane as each other.”

“And he gets it from his father.”

“I’ll admit to no such thing.”

She winked at him.  “You don’t have to.  It’s written across the stars and in those deep and ancient eyes you share.”  She bumped him with her shoulder.  “You love it.”

The smile he had battled to shield briefly broke through to the surface.  He squashed it again quickly and shook his head as he looked to the doors.  “Then after you – _Daughter of the Goddess_.”

Rose padded on light feet toward the doorway and paused just short of reaching it.  A sudden and hard breath drew into her chest and the light around her intensified.  More than just her eyes, her entire body began to glimmer and she looked along her arms with surprise.  “Oh my.”

Ulysses gasped and then exhaled a groan.  “Don’t tell me that you’re going into regeneration,” he growled.  “At this time of all times.”

“No,” she hissed.  Her eyes flashed as she stared back to Amy.  “Things have just taken a rather spectacular turn for the worst.  We have to leave this ship, now.”

“Then leave,” Ulysses grunted.  “My son and I have fulfilled our end of this bargain.  We’ll return to Lungbarrow and leave you to it.”  He flicked his hand in a dismissive gesture.  “You two continue along your misguided adventure.”

Rose shot him an annoyed glare.  “And leave a young child up here in the midst of battle and horror?”  She tsked a condescending click of her tongue.  “That’s very unbecoming of a Lord of Time, doncha think?  Are you so cowardly that you’ll run with your tail between your legs?  I have seen tafelshrews with more courage than you.”

“How _dare_ you.”

“This is for the safety of Gallifrey,” she warned.  “The energy that courses through me is wandering blindly through this ship.  The elements of unstable artron threaten to obliterate not only this ship, but the planet below.”  Her head tilted to the side.  “Don’t you want to save your planet, your home and your hearts?”

“How can you possibly know this?”

She held out her arms either side of her body.  “Look at me, Ulysses.  I glow with pure artron.  This isn’t natural.  This isn’t me.  These are lost and wandering particles from an Eye that is dying within her ship latching onto a bio-receptacle in order to find stability.”

“Impossible,” he muttered.  “The Eye exists only in the Gallifreyan ships.”

“This Dyrroen ship has a stolen capsule in her hold.”

“Don’t say that” he bellowed.  He pointed harshly toward the console of his ship.  “If that eye fails, the collapse of that star will take Gallifrey and half of this constellation into a black hole!”

“Yeah,” she said with a shrug.  “Your TARDIS might have mentioned that to me.  Such a smart girl.”  She sighed a high note and turned away from him.  “But, it’s not your concern because you’re going back to Lungbarrow.  Come Amy, lets you and me – a Human and a _child_ Time Lord – go and save Gallifrey seeing as the mighty warrior Time Lord isn’t interested.”

Ulysses grunted as he forced himself by her.  He lowered his head to hiss into her ear as he passed.  “I can see why my son took you as his mate.”

“Oh,” she sang with a grin as she followed behind him with Amy and Theta on her heels.  “You aint seen nothing yet.”

“That’s what concerns me.”

“Or does it thrill you?”

Ulysses smirked at that.  “Let’s just agree that you’ve piqued my curiosity.”

“Oh, I’ll pique more than that,” she teased.  Her buoyancy, however, faltered the second she exited the TARDIS.  Her breath drew in hard and she let out a short cry as the energy of the ship and the pain of her husband assaulted her through their bond with a mighty surge of force.  She tumbled to her knee and let out a cry for her Doctor.

Amy fell at her side and clutched desperately at her arms.  “Rose!  Are you okay?”

Rose shook her head wildly.  “No.  It’s …”  she panted.  “It’s critical.”

“What?”

She shakily drew herself to a stand and hung on to Amy for support.  “The Commander has initiated battle plans against Gallifrey.  The presence of the Doctors has reawakened the TARDIS and she’s fighting against the orders from the Dyrroen Commander.”  She struggled to rise from her knees and tumbled again.

There was a rattling from mere feet to the front of them, which drew Rose’s immediate attention toward the walls.  Two Police Boxes sat against the walls, both angrily flashing their lights and rattling their doors with urgent demands for focus.

“My girls,” she breathed with longing.  “Here you are.”

The youngest TARDIS threw open her doors with a massive show of brilliant golden light.  Her sister followed suit within seconds.

Rose blew out a long breath.  “Oh-kay.”  She drew herself to her feet and slowly walked toward the two machines.  She held out her arms either side of her.  “Tell me what I need to do, then.”

Amy, Theta and Ulysses shielded their eyes with their forearms as the brilliant light expanded exponentially and then engulfed Rose completely.  They heard nothing except the loud _whoosh_ of swirling energy and the indignant rattling of wooden doors from the TARDIS who was left out.  It felt like an hour, but Ulysses knew that only seconds had passed when Rose finally emerged from the body of the light and strode toward them with tendrils of brilliant gold trailing a glittering train behind her.  He gasped.

She looked like a magnificent bride on her wedding day walking along a glittering aisle.  She wore the artron energy like a gown of gold, her eyes and hair ablaze with swirling light.  He wanted to fall to his knees and worship her like the goddess she claimed herself to be.

“Magnificent,” he whispered reverently as she passed out of the light and appeared wearing the crimson tunic and trousers of the Cadon cadets.  “Those capsules…?”

“…Have told me what needs to happen,” she finished on his behalf.  Her eyes shifted to the lone TARDIS.  “You,” she told it as she raised her hand to point toward it.  “Find me the best pilot in Kasterborous, and return for us.”

Ulysses frowned and shot a look toward his craft.  He coughed in disbelief as she self initiated the dematerialization procedure.  He then spun toward Rose with his arms spread wide in horror.  “What have you done?  You’ve trapped us here.”

“I haven’t,” she answered softly as she turned back to the two remaining ships.  “Ladies.  Surround this ship and protect your ailing sister.  Time lock this entire craft.”

The youngest TARDIS dematerialised immediately with a loud cry that quickly fell to a whine and wheeze.  Her sister gave a shudder and then a cough. Her doors flew open to expel a barely-dressed Rory Williams inside a sound that sounded suspiciously like a sneeze.  She then let out her own mournful cry and dematerialized to leave the room in silence bar the stunned gasping shock of the young man laid up on his back.

“What the Hell,” he barked incredulously.  “What did I do?”

Amy ran quickly to him and dropped to her knees at his side.  She didn’t bother to hide her amusement as she helped him to sit up on the warm metal floor.  “Rory.  Are you okay?”

“I don’t know,” he spluttered in confusion.  “One second I’m marathoning the X-Files in the theatre room, and the next I’m being thrown out of the ship like a piece of rubbish.”

Her brow flicked at his attire, or lack of.  “You were watching TV in your pants?”

He slumped, not yet having noticed the other occupants of the room.  “I had settled in for a long day,” he moaned.  “I always watch TV in my shirt and pants – you know that.  It’s a comfort thing.”

“Were you under your blankie, too?” she teased.

“Well.  I was under _a_ blankie.  Not quite sure who’s it was.”  He rubbed at his head and finally took a moment to look around.  “This isn’t the Doctor’s house, is it?”

“No, it isn’t,” Ulysses boomed with definite amusement.  “You are onboard what I am told is a Dyrroen craft.”

Rory yelped and scuffled backward on his cotton-covered butt across the floor in an attempt to escape.  “Who are you?”  He looked to Amy.  “Don’t tell me that he’s gone and gotten us in some form of universal trouble and then kicked me out of the TARDIS.  In.  My.  Pants.  So he can go play the hero again.”

Amy levered his chin toward Ulysses with a gentle guide of her fingertips.  “This young fellow is Theta – you know him better as the Doctor.”

“Oh-kay,” he breathed with a frown of absolute confusion.  “He’s a _kid_.”

“It’s a long story that would probably take longer than your XFiles marathon to explain, but yeah.  He’s a kid.  And the big fellow, well, that’s his dad, Ulysses.”

Rory huffed and nodded.  He then looked to the father and son and tipped his fingers to his temple to offer them a lazy salute of greeting.  “Nice to meet you.  I’m Rory.  I’m in my pants.”  He let out a defeated breath and dropped his head.  “First impressions are considered important in Time Lord Society I will expect.”

Ulysses was amused.  He nodded.  “It is generally accepted as the norm in our society.”  He cleared his throat against his hand.  “But I’m fast learning that first impressions aren’t exactly very accurate to who one really is.”

“Cheers for that,” Rory muttered as he finally drew himself to a stand and made every effort to pull his shirt down over his boxer briefs.  “I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life.”

“Oh,” Amy assured him with a laugh.  “Something tells me that this is going to be the milder taste of the embarrassment we are likely to continue to receive if we continue to travel with the Doctor.”

“Which won’t happen,” Rose warned along her ethereal voice.  “If we don’t get moving and pull our Doctors from the fire.”

Rory frowned and twisted to look at Rose.  He let up a yelp to see her before him with eyes and face aglow, but quickly pushed it down with a frown.  “Just another day with the Doctor,” he whined.  “Just another day.”

“Are we through with our pointless chinwagging,” Rose asked sharply.

Rory leaned into Amy.  “She okay?”

“I have no idea.”

“Fantastic.”  He wrapped his arms around himself and kicked his toe into the ground.  “So what are we doing, anyway?”

Rose pointed at the wall.  “The Doctors are through here,” she announced.  “Come with me.”

“That’s a wall,” Rory said flatly. 

“I know,” she responded as she walked toward it.  “Follow me.”

Rory grimaced in confusion.  “It’s a _wall_ , Rose,” he said again as she continued to walk toward it.  “A wall.”  He shot a look to Amy.  “She’s going to walk straight into a wall.  Has she lost her mind?”

“Uh,” she gagged in agreement.

Rose continued toward the wall, ignoring another yelp from Rory that she was about to walk directly into the wall.  The light in her eyes flashed brighter and the wall disintegrated into a glittering fall of dust.  She turned back to the group.  “I said to _follow_ me, now _come_ , unless you want to end up stranded on this ship when I have it send into a pocket parallel world to destroy itself.”

Rory gasped and then coughed as a heavy hand slapped him on the shoulder.  Ulysses huffed a breath against his ear.  “I believe when the lady tells us to follow we should obey.”

“How?  What?  How?”

“I don’t know,” Amy offered excitedly.  “But you can be sure I’m tagging along to find out what happens next!”


	48. A Dying Capsule

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor's have seen plenty in their journeys that is enough to make them both ill - but nothing comes close to what they find behind closed doors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now. I'm not entirely sure if I need to put any specific warnings on this. There is talk of torture and pain, but it's mainly directed toward a TT Capsule rather than the Doc and his companions. Now, this upsets me because I love the TARDIS and her sisters, but I'm not entirely sure if y'all will get upset. So be warned. Unpleasant discriptives of TARDIS pain.
> 
> Additionally. Do please remember that I am not a techie head or a person in any way capable of knowing how all the bits and bobs of TARDISes and her energies work. I just had an idea and completely ran with it making it all up as I went along... If you expect the tech to be accurate to accepted canon, sorry, it's very likely nowhere close.
> 
> Other than that, I hope you enjoy.

By the Gods what had he done?

The two Doctors stood side by side to look upon the room ahead of them with absolute dismay.  For all the horrors they could have even begun to imagine to expect, there was nothing that could have prepared them for the scene they intruded upon.  They had each experienced their fair share of torture and pain.  They had each seen horrors that induced vividly soul-destroying nightmares for months and even years afterward.  But nothing.  _Nothing_. Nothing was as searingly soul crushing as the torture chamber they’d just walked into.

The pair that weren’t intimately familiar with the brilliant sentience of a TT-Capsule seemed rather nonplussed at the mess inside the room.  They didn’t shudder at the shattered and defeated broken lean of a destroyed Capsule leaning against a cold metal wall with her doors wrenched open and her insides pulled outside in a web of wires scattered with parts still pulsing with the light of desperately clinging life.  They didn’t feel her agonized cry inside their minds as she battled pain both emotional and physical to keep her systems alive just enough so her final demise wouldn’t destroy any part of the fabric of Time and Space she had worked so vigilantly to protect.

But her energies were waning and death was swiftly on approach.  She’d come home to seek passage in her final moments.  It was a dangerous journey for her to take, and she knew it.  If she expired before she could be escorted into a star, she’d take out all of the life within a million light years of her centre.  But she knew it was a journey she had to take.  It was her final rite, her final wish, and she wanted to have this one thing – just one – before she journeyed into oblivion.

Tentoo gulped back a sympathetic sob as he covered his mouth and looked tearfully at the broken ship.  “Sweetheart.  What has he done to you?”

Eleven growled beside him in fury.  “Of everything I have seen in almost a millennia of travel, this has to be the single most disgusting thing I’ve seen.”

Tentoo shook his head, his mouth still covered in his hand.  “There’s nothing we can do for her.”

“That’s a bit of a defeatist attitude don’t you think,” Eleven snarled as he took off from his stunned stance in the doorway to rapidly approach the capsule doors.  He pointed harshly at the pulsing mass of wiring that was spilling out of the doors.  “Get in there.  Go through that mess and see if there’s anything at all salvageable to save her life.”

Tentoo took a hard inhale and gave a firm nod.  “Right.  Yeah.” 

River Song could sense the devastation within the two Time Lords, but she couldn’t quite comprehend their pain.  Instead of questioning it, however, she pulled her weapon from her waistband and jogged toward the doors.  “I’ll just keep a watch, then.”

“And this time,” Tentoo snapped harshly.  “Make sure that you stop them before they come in.”

Her eyes flared and her jaw locked in disgust at him.  “I get that you’re upset,” she snapped.  “But you don’t get to speak to me like that.”

“Just do as he says,” Eleven ordered sharply.  “You two can fight it out later.  Right now we have much bigger problems than your ego.”

“When we get out of here,” River Song warned darkly.  “We are going to have a very in-depth discussion about how you treat the people you travel with.”

“River,” Eleven warned.

“You need people like me,” she growled.  “You _especially_ need me.  And if you keep on misdirecting your aggression when something isn’t going the way you want it, then you’ll lose me and everyone you care about.”

“You’re awfully sure of yourself, aren’t you,” Tentoo muttered as he dove into the wiring and began to tug and pull in as a gentle-yet-efficient manner that he could. 

“You have no idea,” she purred as she turned to take her post at the door.

“I have more than you think I do.”  He pulled his sonic from his pocket and slid his glasses up onto his nose.  “Okay sweetheart,” he said tenderly.  “Any chance you might have enough left in you get this thing to work?”  He waggled his screwdriver using his thumb and index finger.  “It’d certainly help if we could get a little juice in here.”

He felt a rippling sigh and then a groan enter his mind, and within a short second his sonic whirred to life.  “Oh,” he moaned.  “You _beautiful_ girl.  You still have some fight left in you, don’t you?”

“Hopefully enough,” Eleven offered huskily as he fought through the Capsule innards just inside the doors.  “Now you just hold on, sexy.  Let the Time Lords do everything they can to get you out of here.”  He smiled and looked to the shattered rotor column and the exposed mechanics within.  “Then maybe we can get you into a TARDIS spa and have you all fixed up.  How does that sound?”

He knew that was a lie, but he had to offer it up anyway to give her at least a small amount of hope.  He could feel time energies leaking from deep inside her heart, which meant that there was nothing he or his brother could do to save her.  If salvation couldn’t come, then they would certainly do their utmost make her as comfortable as they could before she finally expired.

Koschei crouched down beside Tentoo and held out his hands in a silent offer to help out.  While he wasn’t as intimately familiar with the capsules as the two fully grown versions of his best friend, he knew Theta Sigma well enough to know that a reaction of this magnitude meant that things had nosedived quickly to a level that it would be impossible to recover from.

“How bad is it?”

“Oh,” he panted with a smile.  “Not so bad, Koschei.  We’ve dealt with worse.  No problems.  Easy-peasy solve, really.”

“You’ve always been a rubbish liar, Thete.”

Tentoo chuckled as he aimed his sonic between two wires to weld them together.  “And you can always see right through me, can’t you?”

He shrugged.  “It’s a gift, I suppose.”

“You have many gifts,” he croaked as he struggled to separate two heavy cables from their coupler.  “The least of which is being able to read me.”  He pointed to a part on the floor.  “Now could you possibly pass me that?  If I connect it to…”  His eyes widened and he let out a horrified gasp to see a very small module hidden deep within the cable web.  “Oh, Rassilon, no.  Sweetheart, how are you even hanging on?”  He reached forward to pick up the module and held with as tenderly as he would an infant in his hands.  “Chinny,” he called.  “You’re going to need this to keep her stable.  Maybe she might even have a chance if we can reconnect this.”

“What is it?” Koschei asked curiously.

“One of her hearts,” he said softly.  “Like her Time Lord, each capsule has a pair of hearts.  The eye is one and this,” he nodded to the precious piece in his hand.  “This is the other.”  He breathed in awe at the part.  “So small.  So delicate.”

Eleven appeared at his side and let out a sorrowful sigh.  “Oh Hell.  These monsters just tore her apart like she was nothing but a part store.”

“Can it help, do you think?”

Eleven bit his lips together and slowly shook his head.  With a pop he released the tight grip of his teeth on his lip and exhaled sadly.  “Probably not.  She’s lost a lot of artron and is showing rapid time degeneration.”

“I know, I can smell it,” Tentoo said after a swallow.  “Taking out her regulator and removing the cut-out – that was a death sentence right there.”

Eleven rubbed at the back of his head and looked back to the open doors of the ship with a pained expression.  “She’s been in this condition for at least a decade, more likely two or three based on the state of her dimensional collapse.  She’s a smart girl, though. She managed to get herself integrated into the matrix of this ship to maintain a small level of sustainability, but it’s not enough to keep her completely stable.”

“Not once she made it back to Gallifrey, anyway.  I wonder how long she’s been trying to make it back home?”  Tentoo scratched at his sideburn and dropped his brows in a frown of concentration.  After a moment the creases in his face stretched out and he thrust his hands into his trouser pockets.  “Do you think she has enough to time-link to one of our girls.”

Eleven shook his head.  “Too much degradation in her flow of Time.”

“Well then,” Tentoo huffed with a deep and long exhale that took all of the air from his lungs.  “We aren’t left with too many options, are we?”

“There is one option,” Eleven ventured cautiously.

“And that is?”

“Bad Wolf.”

Tentoo went deathly silent at Eleven’s whispered pair of words.  He swallowed thickly enough that the rise and fall of his Adam’s Apple looked quite painful.  “No.”

“We can help her direct that power,” Eleven offered.  “You’re inside her already.  You can help her control it.”

Tentoo almost violently shook his head.  “No.  Think of something else.  Using Rose like that is not on our list of options.”  He cleared his throat and stared blankly ahead of him.  “I’d rather die inside the black hole than put Rose through that.”  He winced.  “She’s not used to it.”  He tapped his head.  “Not to all this.  She won’t be able ti withstand this TARDIS screaming inside her head.”

“But…”

“I’m used to having a million voices in my mind.  She’s not.”  He shook his head.  “No.  This’ll be too much.  This – the cry of this ship  - it’ll destroy her.”

“Give Rose more credit,” Eleven challenged.  “She’s stronger than you think she is.”

“I said _no_ ,” he bellowed finally.  “No.  Not happening.”  He sniffed.  “And anyway.  She’s safe at Lungbarrow and there’s no way for her to come up here.”

Eleven blinked.  He inhaled and exhaled sharply.  He then lowered his head.  “Of course.  You’re right.”

They stood together in silence for a few moments as they each ran their own separate thoughts and concerns through their minds.  It was a losing battle – they each knew it – but there had to be something that the two of them could do that could lessen the final destruction, or keep the TARDIS stable until they could manage to pilot the battleship well out of Kasterborous.

Tentoo have a sudden and excited gasp and slapped the back of his hand against Eleven’s chest.  He wore a maniacal grin of thrill and bounced on the balls of his Converse shoes.  “Oh.  Oh!  I’m brilliant.  Just brilliant!  Well, of course I am, I’m me.  But.  Yes!  I think I have an idea.”

Eleven found his excitement slightly contagious and smirked his own grin of excitement.  “Well?  Enough bragging, then.  Tell me what you’ve got.”

“Regeneration,” Tentoo thundered with a wide grin.

“ _What_?”

“Oh,” Tentoo practically cheered as he raked his hands through his hair and clutched two handfuls of hair on the back of his head.  He purred with self-pride.  “Oh.  It’s genius.  It’s complete genius.  _I’m_ a complete genius.” 

“Yes,” Eleven barked.  “You’re a smart boy.  I’ll give you a banana if you share with me what you think is so bloody genius.”

He kept his hair held tightly in his hands and grinned across to his brother.  “Contact.”

“Contact,” Eleven muttered as his eyes fluttered shut and he let his counter-part’s mind settle and swirl within his.  In a short moment his eyes flashed open and he stared at his grinning brother in complete and utter awe.  He growled excitedly.  “Oh.  That’s _brilliant_!”

“See,” Tentoo cheered with a grin as he finally released his hair and shoved his hands into his trouser pockets.  “Now where’s my banana?”  He scoffed as Eleven thrust his hand into his trouser pocket and produced a perfectly ripened banana.  “Oh you have to be kidding me.  _Really_?”

“Did you think I was just happy to see you?”

He held the banana gingerly in between his thumb and index finger as though it held the bubonic plague.  “I don’t even want to begin to even entertain a notion of that nature.”  He flicked his hand to flick the banana away from him.  “And I’m certainly not putting this in my mouth.”

“It’s got a peel on it, you fool.”

He eyeballed him rather suspiciously as he passed by him to walk into through the Capsule doors.  “It’s the principal of it, ya daft git.  You don’t give a man a banana from your trouser pocket and actually expect him to eat it.”

“Grow up,” he snarled.  “You have become such a child.”

“What’s the point in even growing up if you can’t act childish now and then,” he countered as he disappeared into the ship. “You should try it.”

Koschei moved toward Eleven and tapped his foot impatiently on the ground as he watched Tentoo disappear into the dying time ship.  “What’s the plan, then?”

Eleven swallowed thickly and let his head drop slightly to look through his fringe at the doors to the TARDIS.  “He’s going to try to initiate a regeneration of sorts in the ship.  She’s a female capsule and therefore has the molecular stabilizers required to regrow her damaged parts.  She’s too mortally wounded to go into a self-healing phase, but if the two of us can combine our artron energies with what levels she has remaining, then it just might be possible that we can kick her Protyon Units to access the matrix to reform her endo and exo shells, which should be able to heal and reform her time sceptre.”

“Which should seal her leak,” Koschei continued slowly, “and hopefully stop the degradation of her Eye of Harmony.”  He grinned widely.  “Will it save her?”

Eleven’s smile faltered slightly.  “Physically, maybe, but Koschei…”  He set his hand on the young boy’s shoulder.  “Spiritually, she’s already gone.”

He looked distraught at that.  “How do you mean?”

“She was stolen from her cradle by a Time Lord who overrode her symbiotic link with her intended Time Lord and replaced it with his own time signature.”  He let out a breath and dropped his head.  “After achieving bond, that Time Lord then abandoned her and allowed her to be gutted and basically raped by a species that don’t understand – or even care to understand – the incredible sentience of these beautiful ships.”  He wiped at his nose with the crook of his index finger.  “He severed his link with her without a second thought to how it would destroy her.  Koschei.  Understand this, _please_ and don’t ever forget this, because maybe if you remember this, remember this scene, then maybe it won’t…”

“Won’t _what_ , Thete?”. 

“Nevermind.  Just…”  He shook himself.  “Right.  Yes.  After being abandoned she lost her link with him.  Without her symbiotic link to her Time Lord she couldn’t fight against the Dyrroen scientist’s assault on her.  She would die to protect him, but he didn’t do the same for her.  Without him, she doesn’t want to live on.  A Capsule won’t go on without her Time Lord.”

“Sounds like love.”

“It is I suppose,” Eleven admitted.  “Love on a transcendental plane that will rival any bond between a man or woman.”  He snorted.  “A tragedy of the likes of Shakespeare.”

Koschei seemed genuinely upset.  “She just needs a link then.  That’s all.  I’ll link to her.  I’ll give her a life-bond with me and she can survive.  In the time it will take for me to grow and train and be able to pilot her she’ll be fully healed, yeah?”

“It’s not that simple,” he replied hoarsely over a thick swallow.  “If _you_ try to connect with her, she’ll destroy you both.”

“But the two of you,” he croaked.  “The two of you can?”

“It’s different.”

“Why?”

He inhaled hard, held it a moment, and then answered.  “It just is.”

“There has to be a reason,” he ventured fearfully.  “Tell me.”

Tentoo bolted out of the ship, his face set hard in worry and his skin alight with glowing artron.  “Ooh, she’s a feisty girl,” he admitted as he shook himself.  “Fighting me every step, but I think she’s coming around.”

Eleven gave him a worried once-over and swiped his hand through the glittering particals swimming in the air around his brother.  “Yours?”

“Nope.”

“You found the source?”

“Yep.  Cloister room,” he said with a single-sided smile.  “Which helps that it’s where we need to begin the transfer process.  Of course it’s also not good because it’s making the pressure in that room practically non withstandable.”

“Sepulchasm.” Eleven cursed under his breath.

Vooax’s voice chuckled in from the doorway.  “I don’t speak a great deal of the Gallifreyan language, gentlemen, but what I do know is that was a very naughty word you just said, Doctor.”

“It’s a boardgame,” Eleven countered with a petulant snort.

“No in the context that you just used it.”  He thumbed at a guard behind him, who held an unmoving River Song in his arms.  “Oh, your female.  You might’ve wanted to consider putting a leash on her.  It’s very rude to have an uninvited guest wandering about unattended on my ship.”  HE shrugged.  “Still.  Too late now.”

“What have you done to her,” Eleven snarled.

He flicked a dismissive hand as he strode past Eleven to survey the ailing time ship standing slightly beyond him.  “I see you found our little source for our Gallifreyan technology.”  He curled his fingers to flick against the wall of the capsule.  “We’re not really sure about what’s going on with this thing, though – perhaps you can enlighten us.”

“What do you mean,” Eleven snarled.

“We’ve been getting readings that we can’t decipher and a lot of…”  He started to laugh as he took a look at Tentoo and his glittering skin.  “Well.  I see that you’re getting the same readings we are.”  He paused with a frown.  “Although the glitter doesn’t tend to stick to us like it does you.”

Tentoo merely gave a nonchalant shrug.  “It’s a Time Lord thing.”  His eyes then narrowed and he indicated River Song with a dip of his head.  “What did you do to her?”

Vooax dramatically twisted his head to take a glance at the woman in one of his soldier’s arms.  “Her?”  He looked back to both Doctors and shrugged his shoulders.  “Oh, I had her killed.”

Eleven let out a short cry of disbelief and rushed around Vooax to check for himself.  He was aggressive as he pulled her from the guard’s arms, but gentle as he laid her on the ground.  His hand shook as he pressed his fingertips against her temples to find a pulse.  He let out one choke, and then another, as he repeatedly pressed against her neck.  “No.  No,” he chanted.  “You didn’t deserve this.”  He shot a tearful look up at the Commander.  “She didn’t deserve that.”

Tentoo growled a hot and angry snarl.  “Why would you do that?”

“She’s a Time Lord who happened to find herself on my ship only moments after I had initiated battle plans against your forces on the ground,” he intoned blandly.  “I see no sense in taking prisoners.  Much too expensive and time consuming.”  He shrugged.  “Killing her was the easier option to deal with.  You Time Lords can get very whiny when you aren’t getting your way and incarcerations don’t often tend to be intentional.”

“Then are you going to kill us, too,” Tentoo asked inside a snarl.

“Oh yes,” he answered quite simply.  “Of course I am.”

Eleven raised tear filled eyes to the Dyrroen commander.  He didn’t bother to wipe at his cheeks when the damns broke and tears fell to bounce off the apples of his cheeks and roll down to his jaw.  He pulled River Song against his chest and rocked her gently.  “Then _Geronimo_ , go ahead and do it.”

Vooax looked quite disappointed by that.  He certainly didn’t expect defeat to come so easily.  “Oh.  Okay then.”

Tentoo wasn’t quite as eager as his brother to give up, however.  He dropped a look toward Eleven, and then dragged his eyes back up toward Vooax. He leaned to one side as though to peer around the Commander and look to the doorway as though reinforcements were well on their way.  “You know.”  He straightened up and looked at Vooax with his typical manic grin.  “Just how well do you know your  own ship and her power holding capabilities?”

“You may need to be more specific,” Vooax muttered with a sigh.  Part of him wanted to just shoot this guy in the head and be done with him.  However, he knew better than most that when the Doctor opened a line and remarked upon one’s ship, it was probably best for everyone involved that he take a moment to listen.  “What is your _concern_?”

Tentoo Thrust his hands into his trouser pockets and strode a couple of cautious strides before falling into a relaxed side to side pacing.  “ Oh, I was just curious as to what contingencies you had in place to prevent overloading of your Artron and Huon reserves.”

“My _what_ and _what_?”

Tentoo stopped his incessant pacing and rocked back onto the heels of his Converse.  His face fell into an expression of concern.  “Well,” he began with a long extension to the word.  “Artron energy.  Quite safe with low exposure to non Gallifreyan life forms, but can be quite fatal in larger doses.”  He resumed his pacing and kept his hands deep inside his pockets.  “It’s an interesting radiation.  Relies on the grey matter inside your head for its energy.  _Well_ , not really the grey matter as much as your perception receptors.  You need to be capable of thought to be able to produce any kind of Artron, which is what makes it so interesting.  It’s a _sentient_ form of radiation.  It’s ancient  and old – so very old.”  He chuckled and nodded to himself.  “Well, that was a moot point given that I’d already mentioned that it was ancient.  That said, of course, that means it’s old.” 

“This is going somewhere I will guess,” Vooax growled.

“It is,” Eleven snarled as he rose to his feet with River Song cradled protectively in his arms.  He slowly made his way toward Tentoo to take up guard at his brother’s side.  “Artron in low doses is safe.  Very, very safe.  In fact anyone who has ever travelled by TARDIS will forever hold some form of the energy inside them.”

“So there is no point then,” Vooax said with a huff. 

“Oh, but there is,” Tentoo said with a smile.  “You see.  Artron in higher doses can do all sorts of things to a person.  It can change the physiology of a Gallifreyan when irradiated in large doses – which is what triggers a regeneration in a Time Lord and is very important to note if you want to go ahead withyour plans to assassinate two _regenerating_ Time Lords.  It can change the biology of a foetus in the womb to make him or her a completely new and amazing species.”  He dropped an affectionate look toward River Song and then rocked back onto his heels and looked toward Eleven.  “In its most purest and raw form it can take an ordinary, yet brilliant human girl and change her into a Goddess of Time…”

“The Bad Wolf,” Eleven whispered under his breath with a look toward Tentoo.

“Oh Bad Wolf indeed,” Tentoo sang reverently.  “Take a dosage higher than that, however…”  He clicked his tongue as he shook his head.  “And artron energy is fatal - Even to a Time Lord.”

“And you’re saying this because..?”

The Doctor leaned forward, his hands still in his pockets, and lowered his voice an octave.  “Because this ship is teeming with errant excess artron.  Enough to irradiate every member of your battle squadron.  Now, their exposure could well have been limited enough that they’ll make it though without any truly harmful side effects.”

“But,” Eleven continued on behalf of his brother.  “You make an attempt to kill two regenerating Time Lords without the protective presence of a healthy TARDIS to absorb the excess, then you’re going to irradiate this entire craft with levels that will kill each and every one of your men within seconds of exposure.”

“Within seconds, you say,” Vooax muttered thoughtfully as he rubbed his chin.  “This _artron_ as you call it.  It kills within seconds if the concentrations in the air are in lethal quantities.”

Tentoo grinned sensing victory.  “Oh yes.”

Vooax nodded and then shrugged.  “Well if that’s the case then, I don’t really have that much of a choice, do I?”

“None.”  He stepped a leg backward with the full intention to return to trying to stabilize the mortally wounded Capsule.  “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to try and stop an apocalyptic event.”

“No, Doctor,” Vooax thundered as a deep rumble from his chest.  “I’ll have you excuse me.  I have to stop a maniac from preventing the apocalyptic event.”  He snatched a gun from a holster at his thigh and shot it toward the tall skinny Time Lord in pinstripes.

Tentoo let up an immediate cry of agony as the pulse of energy from the Dyrroen weapon ripped into his chest and roared throughout his body.  He spun on his heel in place before he fell onto his knee on the floor at Vooax’s feet.

“If trying to kill you will kill my men, _Doctor_ , then maybe I’ll just have some fun making you suffer at my hands instead.”

Tentoo was incapable of speech or sound beyond his agonized cry of pain.  Eleven, however, was still in full control of his faculties.  He lowered River Song’s body to the ground and drew himself to his full height. 

“Release him,” He ordered with a rapidly darkening glare of pure fury.  “Release my brother.”

“Or _what,_ ” Vooax questioned boredly.  “You’ll kill me?”  He gave a short laugh.  “You’re the _Doctor_ , you don’t believe in weapons and killing people.  You’d rather talk me into my own salvation than destroy me and my men.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure of that,” he growled in response.  “You killed my future wife and are torturing my brother.  You threatened to kill the one true love of my many lives and tried to kill my younger self.  On top of that, you have spent several decades torturing an innocent and beautiful Capsule machine to her own death.”  He curled a lip and lowered his head dangerously.  “Every man has his tipping point, Commander, and I reached mine the moment I set foot on this craft.”

“I don’t fear you,” Vooax said with a laugh.  “Not.  At.  All, actually.”

“You might not fear the Doctor, but it’s wise for you to fear his wolf,” a hauntingly beautiful dual-toned voice giggled in from behind Vooax.  “Timing is everything isn’t it, and it does seem that I chose the best moment to arrive.”  The brilliantly shimmering form of Rose Tyler stepped over the smallest of rises left from the melt of the wall at her touch.  “I do love me a good opportunity for a dramatic entrance.”


	49. Sorcery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ulysses and the girls and Rory and Theta find their way to The Doctors and River and Koschei...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter (and the next) and I have been at war with each other for five days and I'm done. I surrendered. We signed off on a treaty that stated I was no longer allowed to read, edit, review, change, rewrite or anything else...  
> So it is what it is, and for that I'm sorry.  
> The next one was actually supposed to be part of this one, but it got way too long and had to be broken in two... When I have finalized the surrender agreement with the next chapter I'll post it ...  
> Reasons exist for why things happened here, and I just ask you to trust me. An ask, I know, but please try.

It was a rather eclectic looking quintet that stalked through the narrow corridors of the Dyrroen ship.   Ulysses, with his proud gait that seemed to walk him taller than even the tallest Cadonwood tree in the forests of Mount Lung, exuded authority and power.  His young Son, Theta Sigma, strode obediently at his side.  His little shoulders were slightly hunched and his hands were seated deep inside his trouser pockets.  He looked more timid than authoritative, but his eyes were like surveillance cameras, taking in and mentally recording every sight around them.

Amy practically skipped as she kept pace only a few feet behind Ulysses and Theta.  She tried rather valiantly to shield her smile of excitement behind a mask of concern, but found her control slipping on the moments that she had to _accidentally_ bump her hip into Rory to push his reluctant self along.

Rory was not in any way excited nor prepared for the venture.  He was clad only in his pants and undershirt and was clearly allowing his embarrassment to lead his emotions.  Amy’s random hip bumps served only to make him fold much more tightly within himself.

Rose took up the rear of the procession.  She quietly analyzed her surroundings and often muttered seemingly to herself as the group made their slow and cautious trek.  Her eyes still glowed hot and a perpetual breeze seemed to spin in a golden vortex of artron eagerly forming a protective shield around her.

Ulysses didn’t much like the quiet of the group supporting him – he had very much taken post as _Commander_ of the team – and made his displeasure known at the half-way mark along a corridor.  He set a hand down on Theta’s shoulder to stop his son from continuing forward and spun to address the three young adults.

“I believe we might find this a rather good moment to convene as a group to see if any of us have any kind of insight or plan into just what it is we intend to do once we have found our quarry.”

Rory cleared his throat and leaned just slightly toward Amy.  “I _want_ to believe that he’s speaking English, but I’m not entirely sure that he is.”

“He’s not,” she whispered back.  “He’s speaking Gallifreyan, but the TARDIS is translating.  At least I think she is.  She’s not used to translating Gallifreyan, so maybe she’s misinterpreting…?”

“There’s no linear translation between English and Gallifreyan,” Rose said with a shrug.  “TARDIS is doing her best, but she’s got a lot of pompous mumble jumble to wade through before she can tell us what she _thinks_ he’s trying to convey.”

“In other words,” Amy ventured, “he could be saying something like….”  She prepared to say something rather salacious and found herself under the glare of the gigantic Gallifreyan.  With her jaw hung low she whimpered.

“Be aware, young Amy, that the translation circuits of the TT-Capsule do work both ways.  As you are made to understand me, so am I to understand you.”  He licked at the very side of his mouth and battled to hide his smirk.  “So be wary of what you think I _might_ want to say before you make any suggestions.”  He lifted his eyes high and let out a sigh.  “I was a youngster once, myself.  I recall the madness in the minds of youth and their disdain for their elders.”

“Well, _actually,_ ” she huffed with a nonchalant slump in her shoulders.  “What I was going to say is that anything that might come out of your mouth is guaranteed to be pretty important and so I would _hope_ that the TARDIS translates it as accurately as possible so that we don’t miss the message that you’re trying to convey.”

“A fine backpedal if I do say so.”

“Why thank you, I’m kind of pleased with my effort there, myself.”  She let a moment of a smile warm the space between them for just a moment, and then let it falter as she looked toward Rose.  “Hav’ta ask.  Do we happen to have any weaponry at all between us?  You know.  Gun.  Lazer.  Slingshot?”  she motioned firing off a pebble from a sling shot device.

Every member of the party shook their heads.

Amy frowned and let out a moan.  “Oh.  We’re all dead then, aren’t we?”  She leaned forward to slap a decent strike across Ulysses’ arm.  “What kind of Time Lord Warrior are _you_ not taking a gun into a fight?  You’re supposed to be the _experienced_ and _superior_ one of all of us.”

Ulysses was caught inside a shocked gasp at the fact that Amy had struck him.  His eyes were wide, and his jaw slack, and for an infantismal amount of time, the mighty Ulysses looked as vulnerable as a young child.  It almost appeared that he was ready to whine out a childish complaint to her strike.

A rumble from ahead of them, however, squashed any further jibing between the group.  They all turned to find themselves at the aim of several extremely large guns aimed along the noses of several Dyrroen guards.  Loud thundering footfalls from deeper within the bowels of the corridor suggested that the group of roughly ten guards was about to be exponentially increased.

“Again,” Amy gulped as she let the back of her hand slap against Ulysses’ arm.  “I want to bring up the question of just why a Time Lord warrior turns up to a fight without a weapon?”

He snapped up his hand to take hers tightly within his – both in a warning not to hit him again, and to try and provide comfort to her panic.  “I have a weapon,” he stated thickly as he dropped her hand and strode forward.  “My mind and my mouth.”

Rory slouched in place and let out a long suffering moan.  “Oh, they’re all alike these Time Lords, aren’t they?”  He threw up his hands.  “We’re all gonna end up in jail or dead.”

Ulysses paid him no mind at all as he inhaled deeply to expand his chest, and rolled his shoulders backward to increase his posture as much as possible.  “I am Ulysses of Lungbarrow.  I am Commander General of the Celestis and Chief Liason Officer for the Lord Council of Gallifrey.  I demand that you take me to the commander of this vessel so that he can state his intentions on flying a fully armed battleship into the airspace over Gallifrey.”

“I would think that was _obvious_ ,” Amy trilled quietly to herself inside a sigh and a roll of her eyes.

One of the guards smirked crimson lips across scarlet cheeks.  “Your female is correct.  Our intentions are rather obvious.”  He flicked his weapon to one side with instruction.  “You’re all our prisoners now, follow us.”

Rose weaved through her team with a huff of exasperation and annoyance.  “We don’t have time for this,” she snarled as she stalked past Ulysses and put her hand on the barrel of the lead guard’s weapon as she strode by.  The weapon disintegrated at her touch and peppered the floor and the guard’s boots in soft grey dust.  “Come on, the Doctor needs us.”

The guard gagged at the sudden and mystifying emptiness in his hands.  His gag turned to a cough as he looked down at the mess on his boots.  “By what sorcery?”

Ulysses smirked as he flicked dust off his arm with an arrogant double flick of his fingers.  “Time Lord,” he muttered condescendingly.

“Time _Lady_ ,” Rose corrected sharply.  She pointed to the other end of the corridor, where passage meant wading though at least fifty armed guards who, it was safe to assume, weren’t of the mind to just lay down their weapons, form a guard of honour, and let them all pass….

…At least that’s the thought that ran quite hurriedly through Rory’s mind as he sized up the situation.  He slumped his shoulders and looked apologetically toward his wife.  “All I wanted was to give you an amazing life and maybe have myself an honourable death.”

She pursed her lips and looked up and down his near-naked body.  “Feeling a bit put out that you’re probably doing to die in your pants and undershirt, honey?”

“Slightly, yeah,” he huffed.  “I’m going to die in my _pants_.  And these aren’t even my favourite ones.  I could have died wearing my Superman pants, but no.  I had to be wearing a boring old purple and green Fruit of the Loom pair.”

She stroked at his arm and gave him a pitifully sympathetic look.  “I’m sorry.”  She then roughly snatched for his ear to tug him along.  “Okay.  That’s about enough gripin’.  Let’s follow the _Golden Goddess_ , shall we?”

“Oh why not?” He sang in a resigned voice.  “May as well die in _style_ , right?”

“You’re still in your _pants_ …”

“Cheers for that.”

“Noone’s going to die,” Rose snapped as her eyes quickly scanned the walls for shorter passage to the Doctor. 

Rory dipped his head in a nod as he raised his finger and acted out counting all of the weapons currently aimed in their direction.  “You see all the guns, yeah?”

Rose’s swirling golden irises lit up brightly as she took in a deep inhale.  Her flared eyes held wide and then relaxed as every weapon in the room disintegrated to dust at their handler’s feet.  She swayed slightly on her feet as she tried to shake off the excess energy, but managed a smile.  “No.  I don’t, Rory.  I’m sorry.”

His mouth gaped and he frowned as he nodded a jerked bob of his head.  “Yeah.  Right.  You’re terrifying, you know that?” 

Amy took it and ran with it as she gave a witch’s cackle of a laugh and held her hands on her hips.  “You might want to run little munchkins, before the Goddess turns you all to dust, too!”

Rory passed her a sideways look.  “Really?”

She slouched.  “Oh come on.  Rose pulls that trick out, and you don’t expect me to run with it?”

He merely looked at her and let his arms slide slowly into a fold across his chest in silent admonishment.

“Okay then.   Do you want to take the bet that she can’t?”

He thought for a moment then gave a firm nod of agreement.  “Yeah.  You’re right.”  He turned to the confused group of alien soldiers and swept his hands repeatedly through the air.  “Scoot, you lot, or you’ll be next!”

Theta swallowed hard, fear evident in his little voice as he squeaked out.  “Do you think she _would_?”

“If it meant saving you – no matter which _you_ it is – then yes,” Amy answered softly as the room cleared quickly of guards.  “I honestly believe she could and _would_ do it.”

Rory mumbled under his breath as the room fled free of guards to leave them all alone in a silent corridor.  “I have a feeling they’ll be back with bigger guns.”  His eyes then flicked to Rose, who stood alone inside her golden vortex in a stoop with her hands fisting handfuls of hair at her temples.  “Rose?  You okay?”

“So much pain,” she moaned.  “God, there’s so much pain.”

Ulysses moved quickly to her side.  With a tender touch her cupped his hands on her cheeks and raised her face to his.  He gasped at the tear tracks on her cheeks that looked as deep as trenches.  He let a sympathetic sound rumble from the back of his throat as he used his thumbs to wipe them away.  “Is it my son?”

Rose struggled with panted breaths.  She shook her head and let her face crease with sorrow, and even though her eyes fell shut, the light still shone through her tear stained lids.  “I don’t know.  There’s so much hurt.  It burns.  I – I can’t take it.”

“You have to,” he demanded on a caring yet demanding voice.  “He needs you.  My son needs you.  We can’t find him if you can’t calm yourself and concentrate.”

Her eyes were red and wide as she shook her head at him.  “I have no control over this,” she admitted fearfully.  “There’s so much in there that’s trying to control me, and I don’t know what line to hold on to tether myself.” 

Ulysses clutched hard at her arms.  He looked hard into her eyes.  “Contact.”

She shook her head.  “No.” 

“Contact,” he demanded again.

Her eyes focused and she offered him a glare.  “I said no.”

“That’s my _son_ that’s in danger and now that I see your inattention and lack of ability to focus correctly, I demand that you grant me access so I can make sense of it for myself.”  He clutched harder on her arms.  “Contact!”

“Stop asking me.  I _won’t ever_ give you consent.”  She tried to back away from him.  “The only mind that touches mine is the Doctor’s.”

Ulysses didn’t ask further for permission.  He didn’t even give her warning.  He quickly slid his fingers to her temple, shoved her hands out of the way, and dove straight into her mind.  He ignored her startled cry as he surged into her mind and begun to storm through her memories in search of the source of her pain.

He wasn’t gentle, he didn’t even take care to ignore what she didn’t want him to see.  He stood in the centre of her thoughts and swatted images and feelings out of his way as he spun, twisted and turned in place in search of the answer to his question:  Was his son okay?

He may as well have been standing at the Arcadian Central Train Station for how busy her mind was.  There was no order, there were no quiet zones.  It was a cluttered and horrific mess of memories and feelings that just rushed past him like commuters running or the train.

There was a sudden and deafening crack of thunder, and the chaos around him stopped.  Each memory and feeling went completely immobile as though under order from a higher power.  With eerie silence they each slowly turned to look at him before twisting into vortexes that tightened and lengthened into thin vertical lines that disappeared inside a pop to leave him inside a golden room with no doors, no windows, no corners, no beginning and no end.

Dread began to fill him as the ground beneath his feet began to shake and winds blew in to buffet him from all directions.  A haunted howl called off in the distance and he spun to face the menace that was obviously on approach.  A thunderclap roared from the opposite side that seemed to crash directly into his back.  It was a terrifying sound that had Ulysses spin to face the opposite direction with his forearms held up to protect him from whatever storm was on approach.

The howl continued to his rear.  A howl and a growl released in a broken breath at the impact of the beast’s mighty paws striking the ground as it rushed toward him.  He spun to face the beast, even as the storm clouds grew, pulsed, and darkened all around him.  He tried not to flinch at the forking flash of lightning that fractured the clouds above his head and lit up the menacing eyes and bared fangs of the wolf.  He tried not to panic at the rapid approach of the beast across the golden plain.

A sound of salvation overtook the thumping panting growl and the lightning crashing overhead.  It was a sound all Time Lords knew as well as the dual beats of their own hearts: the whining wheezing groan of a TT-Capsule engine.  This capsule’s promise of rescue cried out in stereo.  He could hear it calling from either side of him.  He lifted his head to the skies to watch the materialization of the beloved protector of the Time Lords, but gasped at the image that shot forth.

Dual Time Ships ripped out of twin vortexes from within the storm.  They spin wildly on their axis, tilting aggressively with their rooftop lights flashing angrily and their interior lights bursting forth brightly through the frosted windows of the ships.

And still the beast drew closer.

Ulysses began to pant, his respiratory bypass failing him, as unbearable pressure from all sides closed in on him.  He stumbled helplessly as the golden wolf rushed ever closer.  It only took another few long bounds for it to be upon him, and as the wolf took an almighty lap at him, the two TARDISes took flight toward him, and a long blue flaming tendril of electricity shot out of the clouds.

He let out an almighty bellow as each entity collided against him with thunderous, explosive force, and found himself ejected out of Rose’s mind with such force that he was backwards and into a roll on the ground.

He spluttered as he struggled to rise up onto his elbows.  “What in the name of Rasillon, Omega and the Other _are_ you?”

“Don’t,” Rose snarled with a low snarl as she wiped blood from her nose.  “Don’t you _ever_ try an’ get into my head like that ever again.”  She panted hot breaths much like the beast in her mind.  “Next time, I’ll do more than just _push_ you out of there.”

Ulysses spluttered as he shook his head in disbelief.  “The level of protection in your mind.  There’s no way that you’re capable of putting those in place.  Rassilon _himself_ is incapable of that level of telepathic fortification.”  He continued to shake his head as he drew himself to a stand.  “How do you have not one, but two capsules standing as protectors?”

“The Doctor,” she answered simply as she turned and scanned the walls once more.  “He protects me from the wolf,” she looked back at him fearfully.  “This is her third appearance of.  The first time killed my Doctor.  The second time it took us both.  I’ll guess this time it’s _my_ time – especially if we don’t get to him before my mind burns completely.”  She wiped the back of her hand across her eyes, which smeared her eyeliner and mascara like a mask across her face.  “But, hey.  At least I can regenerate, yeah?”

“Yes, I expect so,” Ulysses offered quietly.

“Then I wonder what I’ll look like this time,” she mused as she felt along the wall.  “I hope he’ll still think I’m beautiful.”

A small hand found hers.  “He’ll think you beautiful no matter what face you wear,” Theta Sigma offered with a smile.  “Trust me, Arkytior.  He’ll love no other the way he loves you.  His love is for your spirit, your soul, and the brilliance of you – not for your face.  That’s where your beauty lies.”

She stroked her thumb across his cheeks.  “Don’t ever let anything or anyone take this heart from you, Thete.”

“They won’t,” he said with a wide grin.  “In fact I’ll get another one when I’m finished at the academy.”  He gave her a wink.  “Then I’ll have two of them to beat for you.”

“Not just me,” she warned as she separated from him and looked down her shoulder as she strode away.  “But the whole universe.  TARDIS ‘n me, we come in at a very close second to _her._ ”

“But…”

“And that’s the way it should be,” Ulysses warned his son sternly.  “And by the Gods am I a proud parent to know that you grow to learn that lesson and embrace it, Thete.”

“Does that pride override my error in judgement about bringing two incarnations of myself out of time to play about on Gallifrey, Father?”

“Absolutely not.”

“How about my apparent skill in being able to break through the Kasterborian Time Lock?”

“That would be a crime in its highest order against the council, my son.”

“Oh for the love of Omega will I ever win,” Theta moaned.

“Not as long as my hearts beat.”  He actually smirked as he switched his look to Rose.  “Now, Arkytior, have you determined the location of my wayward child and his later incarnation?”

“As well as his wife and mortal enemy?”

Theta gasped.  “His what and _what_?”

Rose didn’t answer Theta’s blustered question.  Instead, her swirling golden eyes were locked open wide and her jaw set tight as she stared at the wall behind the young boy.  The corner of her eye twitched and her shoulder cracked in a slow and controlled roll.  Her husband’s name fell quietly from her lips.

“Rose,” Rory bellowed in a sudden and urgent warning from behind them.  “Rose, we’ve got incoming.”

Amy squeaked and launched from where she stood beside her husband to twist and turn to shield herself behind Rose.  “Tell me you’ve got some of that golden goddess thing still happening.”  She pointed her arm across Rose’s shoulder to point down the corridor.  “We’ve got incoming.”

“I’m not worried about them,” Rose snarled as she spun and walked toward the wall.  “So you shouldn’t, either.”

Rory rubbed at his brow and sighed heavily.  “Well why not?  It’s not like we have much choice otherwise, is it?”

“There’s always a choice,” Rose breathed as she focused her eyes on the wall and let the power within her melt a wide circular entranceway.  She looked over her shoulder at him and winked a golden eye at him.  “But _I’m_ the _right_ one this time.”

“Remains to be seen.”

Her smile faltered when she heard the cry of her Doctor from beyond the wall.   “Doctor…”

Ulysses’ hand fell on her shoulder and he gave her a look of warning.  “Think, child.  Think before you act and consider just how your actions today might affect you tomorrow.”

“But…”  She panted.  “My Doctor.”

“We have the element of surprise now, Child.  Let’s use that to reach a conclusion that won’t destroy our consciousness for the rest of our lives.”

“You mean: _don’t kill anyone_.”

“I don’t wish for my son to witness that.  Not at...”  He lifted his finger to his lips to ask quiet as voices spoke from beyond the hole in the wall.

“ _Every man has his tipping point, Commander, and I reached mine the moment I set foot on this craft.”_

_“I don’t fear you.”_

Rose’s eye twitched at the laugh she heard filter in from beyond the doorway and shot Ulysses a glare.  “I’m sorry, but if he’s hurt either of the Doctors, I will kill him.”  She walked to the hole in the wall.  “And destroy this entire ship and everyone on it.”

_“Not.  At. All, actually.”_

She stepped over a small jagged rise left in the wall.  She let a chuckle bubble in her chest as she made her presence known.

“You may not fear the Doctor. But it’s wise for you to fear his wolf.”  She paused long enough to make sure that she could hear the other members of her party to follow in behind her.  “Timing is everything isn’t it, and it does seem that I chose the best moment to arrive.”  He inhaled a deep breath and swallowed deeply as she let her eyes lock with Eleven’s.  “I do love me a good opportunity for a dramatic entrance.”


	50. Pendrarleppinmormubvo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What is Pendrarleppinmormubvo? It's a name, isn't it? Well ... a Gallifreyan one, anyway. Two teams come together and a bunch of stuff happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bunch of stuff happens ... yeah ... it does ... this is where you can see that a war was waged and a writer lost the battle. Big Time!
> 
> Again, please trust me in that this has to happen for a reason ... all of the stuff that Ulysses has seen he has to have seen ... it's kind of important. But it makes this no less a convoluted mess. It gets easier from here. I promise.

Vooax didn’t bother to look backward toward the female voice that threatened him. Truth be known he didn’t exactly subscribe to the female empowerment movement. A female was just a female: timid, weak, emotional, unstable.

There _was_ a look of sudden panic from the Doctor at the appearance of the girl, however. And a _look_ of that nature could only mean one thing…

His eyes shifted to the Eleventh Doctor and narrowed as a smile stretched across his cheeks. “The one you _love,_ perhaps, _Doctor?”_

“Worse than that,” Rose sang with a haunted tone. “I’m the one who loves _him_. Now. Be a good boy and drop your weapon.”

“I’ve never taken an order from a _female_ ,” he growled with a huge curl in his lip.

“Then take one from _me_ ,” Ulysees snarled aggressively. “I am Ulysses of Lungbarrow. I am Commander General of the Celestis and Chief Liason Officer for the Lord Council of Gallifrey.” He let out a derisive snort as he stalked from the hole in the wall and across the TARDIS innards toward the small grouping. “I hold the authority to detain you on behalf of Lord-President Rassilon….”

“Yes. Yes. _Time Lord_ ,” Vooax muttered dryly as stopped firing upon Tentoo to hold his gun upward. He made a slow turn to face Ulysses, and took a moment to give a short laugh at the thud of the barely conscious Time Lord hitting the floor behind him. “My you Time Lords just love to give speeches, don’t you?”

“We do,” Ulysses confirmed on a low and dangerous voice. “And we really don’t like to be interrupted when giving one.”

He finalized his turn and Vooax’s weapon fell from his fingers with a noisy clatter on the metal floor as he saw the size of the man who had appeared behind him. The man who called himself Ulysses exuded pride, honour and authority. He stood at a height no less than six-feet-six, held high a broad chest and shoulders and had legs as solid as a pair of tree trunks. He stood before Vooax and seemed to enjoy looming over him by a good foot with a glare through searing blue eyes down along the bridge of a strong nose.

…This was obviously not a man to argue with, and when Ulysses folded thick arms across his chest and set his jaw, Vooax felt his chest constrict with worry. He didn’t bother to hide the expression of fear that morphed his previously victorious grin.

At Ulysses’ side, Rose Tyler slowly shifted her gaze from Vooax to Tentoo. She was stoic and expressionless as she hauntingly called his name.

He raised his hand and nodded even as he fought to catch his breath. “Fine. M’fine, Rose.” He then waved his hand aggressively to one side. “But you … all of you … you have to get out of here.”

“Not going nowhere,” Rose responded emotionlessly as she let her eyes drag toward Eleven, who nodded that he was fine – pissed off – but fine. Her eyes then fell to the prostrate and unmoving River Song on the floor at Eleven’s feet. Little Koschei was on his knees at her side with his hands held around one of hers. Tears streaked his pudgy little cheeks. Her eyes flared and the light within them intensified as she noticed the stillness in River Song’s chest.

“River,” she breathed in little more than a whisper as her hand rose to press her fingers against her gasp. “God. Please no.”

A shriek overrode Rose’s saddened whisper as Amy registered the unmoving body on the ground. “Oh my God, Melody!” She launched from her protected position behind Ulysses and slid painfully on her hip as she fell at her daughter’s side. “Not my baby, no!”

Koschei offered apologetic red-rimmed eyes as he pulled River’s limp hand up toward his cheek and leaned against it. “I’m sorry. There was nothing we could do.” He felt Rory fall to his knees beside Amy and jerked with shock when he heard his mournful cry. “I’m so sorry.”

Amy rocked herself, but couldn’t bring herself to touch her daughter. She covered her mouth in her hands and shook her head as her body rocked slowly backward and forward. “What did he do to you, Melody? What did that monster do?” She glared up to the Eleventh Doctor. “Why didn’t you protect her, Doctor? Why? How could you let her die?”

He couldn’t answer her. He merely closed his eyes and hung his head between his shoulders in remorse. He couldn’t even apologise. Hell, if he did he knew it would only result in an explosion from Amy Pond, so it was better that he remained quiet.

Rory held River’s head in his hands and leaned down to press his lips against her forehead. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there to protect you, Melody,” he vowed softly. “I’m your dad. I should’ve been there.”

“Answer me, Doctor,” Amy demanded tearfully as she attempted to stand, but only managed to stumble back down onto her knee. “Why her? Why did it have to be her?”

Ulysses embraced the scene on the ground with his mind and held it deep within him as he fired a heated look of seething fury toward the Dyrroen Commander. As a father he could very vividly imagine the pain of losing a child. “You slaughtered an innocent woman,” he snarled. “What kind of soldiers are Dyrroes producing now? Murderers of women and children?”

Vooax had used the distraction to tether himself back to reason. Regardless of who this small band of Time Lords were, they were still outnumbered by the numbers held within his mighty Dyrroen craft. “She was hardly innocent,” he snapped in response to Ulysses’ admonishment. “And if a woman and a child want to wander around within the dominions of men and their wars, then they _deserve_ to suffer the same fates as their male counterparts.”

“Never,” Ulysses growled with his fist raised and poised to strike at the Commander in front of him. “Our women and our children will never be equal enough to men that they deserve the pains of warfare. They are better than that, than _us._ Better than _man,_ _Lord, King_ or _Emperor._ ” His fist pulled back to pound at his chest. “They are our future and the reason we fight to begin with and they must always be protected, even at cost of our very lives.”

Vooax raised a brow at that. He then let his eyes bounce to each individual in the room. “Says the _soldier_ who brought to the fight two women and a child.”

“Says the _Time Lord_ who will bring you and your entire ship of fools to task for daring to come near Gallifrey looking for war,” Ulysses corrected him with a snarl.

“That still doesn’t negate the fact that you brought with you women and children, mighty Ulysses of _Lungbarrow_ ,” Vooax snapped back. “How do you possibly think that you even stand a chance against my men when you’ll find yourself having to watch over the _lesser creatures_ you brought along?”

“I really wouldn’t underestimate _this_ woman,” Rose murmured with a blank look. She then let her gaze fall to the prostrate form of River Song and followed her gaze with slow steps.   She passed by Eleven, and then by her own Doctor without a glance, and fell to her knees beside Amy. “Let me help,” she whispered.

“There’s nothing you can do,” Amy whined with a rough snatch of her hand across her tears. “She’s gone. My only child.   Gone.”

Rose lifted her eyes to Rory. “If I were you, I’d step in between Ulysses and Vooax and take a piece off him in the name of your daughter’s vengeance before he finishes him off,” she warned with a hard look that quickly shifted to a smile of encouragement. “And take your best shots, because I’m taking what’ll be left of him when you’re done.”

Rory didn’t immediately move. He watched curiously as Rose lean forward to run the backs of her fingers along River’s jaw. He swallowed hard and thrust his arms around his wife’s shoulder as Amy collapsed and then dissolved into his side. “I can’t leave her,” he admitted after a moment.

“I’ve got her, Rory, don’t worry.” Rose hitched a breath as Tentoo dropped to his knees at her side and pressed in close against her back to look over her shoulder at River Song. She could still smell the burn of the gun that had brought him to his knees only moments ago. It was an acrid, pungent aroma that settled heavily in the very pit of her stomach. She writhed her back against chest and closed her eyes. “Doctor…”

His arm snaked out to take her hand in his. His voice was a whisper. “Rose. Come here. She’s gone. There’s nothing we can do for her now.”

Rose shook her hand free of his and pressed her lips together as she leaned forward away from the press of his chest. She gave a firm shake of her head and released the bite of her lip with a pop. “Go help your dad.”

“Rose…”

“I said _go_.”

He stiffened at her sharp dismissal, but nodded his head against her shoulder before he drew himself to a stand. “ _Right_.” He towered over her for a moment with a dark look in his gaze, but it quickly fell to rueful before he turned to join his father. “I’ll be over there, then.”

Rose looked down her shoulder at him, blinked, and then slid her eyes back to River Song. She gently clicked her tongue and put her hand down on the valley in between her breasts. “If you think that you’re leaving now when the fun’s only just begun, then you aren’t really a _Pond_ are you, Miss Song?”

Amy looked on with curious frown. “Rose?”

Rose took a deep breath. Her eyes shot open wide and flashed a bright and brilliant golden Amber. “He needs you, River,” she sang evocatively.   “And because of that…” Rose slumped her shoulders forward and exhaled a hacking cough as River Song gasped underneath her hand.   “…I give you life.”

It was an empty statement and one that went all but heard as Rory and Amy practically shoved her to one side to embrace their quickly reviving child. Rose shuffled backward and stumbled, then swayed as she clutched her hands to her temples and let out a moan at the burning pain searing into her mind. Tears rolled down her cheeks and as she looked desperately to the Doctor standing worriedly only feet away. The light in her eyes dimmed slightly to leave her eyes reflecting a deep seated pain. She shook her head when he broke position beside his father to attend to her.

Young Koschei sat back on his heels and looked toward Rose with an expression that was crossed between fear and awe. “What are you?”

“I’m Arkytior: your friend,” she assured them softly as she flicked her eyes back and forth between his. She held open her hands. “I’m me.”

He shook his head and shuffled backward from her. “What you just did.” He pointed to River Song, who seemed highly confused – but thrilled – to be in the middle of a Pond-Williams sandwich. “That was _wrong_. So wrong.”

“I had no choice,” she vowed. “Please believe me. Her time wasn’t now – she’s needed in _her_ future to save _his_ past.” She crawled a single movement of her knee forward and paused when he backed off again. “Without her Thete dies. Do you want that?”

When he refused to acknowledge her question Rose exhaled a breath and then drew herself slowly to her feet to look toward the TARDIS that was singing inside her mind. The song was by no means pleasant. It was a wailing song of soul-shattering agony and of desperation for the pain to end. Rose could feel every ounce of hurt that the Capsule felt, and she felt it as hot as though she was burning from within. She choked out a sob and her hand flew to her mouth as the song sang of each of the horrors the Capsule faced after her abandonment and during her endless search for Gallifrey.

“Oh sweetheart,” Rose breathed sadly as her eyes filled with tears. “What did he do to you?” She sniffed a wet sniff and crossed the floor toward the ship. “We’re here now, me and the Doctors. We’ll take you home.” A final shrill note inside her mind caused Rose to stumble in her stance and she found herself quickly encircled in a strong pair of tweed-covered arms.

“I got you, Rose,” Eleven whispered quickly against her ear.

“She’s dying,” Rose gasped urgently.

“I know. We’ve tried to help.” He lifted his eyes toward Tentoo to direct her focus on him. “He tried to get her stabilized as best as he could, but aside from that there’s nothing we can do to save her.”

Rose swallowed thickly. “Is she stable enough to get her clear of Kasterborous?”

“Nope.” He winced as he cleared his throat.

“Gallifrey?”

“Barely,” he admitted quietly. “We ran out of time. _Vooax_ showed up.”

Rose covered her mouth with her hand and swallowed a massive lump that seemed to lodge in her throat. She could barely breathe as a hundred devastating timelines swirled and swam inside her mind. Images, most of them horrifying and brutal, savagely attacked her consciousness and threatened to bring her again to her knees.

The Doctor held onto her tight. “Rose. Are you okay?”

She fisted her hair in her hands and growled as she shook her head. “Ugh. So many things, Doctor. So much that can happen. Why is it all so jumbled?” She stumbled. “Why does it hurt so much?”

“Look at me,” he urged her in a voice both encouraging and demanding. He waited a heartsbeat and then gripped hard at her arms. He held just short of shaking her. “Rose Tyler. Look at me.” He pointed to his eyes with two fingers. “Up here. Look up here. Focus on me, on my eyes, my voice.”

She gasped a couple of struggled breaths as she looked with unfocussed eyes into his. “No time,” she panted. “We’ve got no time for this.”

“A Time Lord _always_ has time…”

She shook her head. “Except during an inter-universe video conference call with a girl on a Norway beach when she declares her love for him.”

That made him smile, as did her slowly focusing stare. “I have a bad secretary, what can I say?” He lifted his hands to stroke his thumbs along her cheeks. He could feel the galloped thumping of her hearts dulling to a light canter in her chest. The light inside her eyes vanished completely and he allowed himself to disengage his respiratory bypass to breathe again. “Feeling better now?”

“I feel scared.”

“Good.”

“ _Good_?”

“You’re _supposed_ to be scared,” he declared with a smile as he pressed his forehead hard against hers. “I’m scared, you’re scared, he’s scared and she’s scared. Being scared is fantastic. Adrenaline. The Great Invader. The Army General marching in with his platoons of soldiers telling you that it’s time to step up and act – to fight the boogey man.”

“Scared is _good_?”

He shrugged as he rubbed her arms and brought her back to total calm. “Fear keeps us safe,” he whispered. “because it reminds us how vulnerable we really are.”

“Tell me what we’re going to do,” she whispered.

“I don’t know.” He raised his forehead from hers and looked across her blonde head toward where his brother and father were still in a standoff with Vooax. He didn’t miss the absolutely filthy look that he received from Tentoo and actually fired back a cheeky grin paired with a waggle of his brow as he ran his hands down along her arms and then around her hips to pull her more protectively against him.

Absolute flaming fury contorted the Time Lord’s face into an expression of rage and it was clear that he was a hair away from killing Vooax if only because he stood in the immediate straight-line trajectory between Ten and Eleven.

No sooner had Tentoo’s anger flared, the fire returned to Rose’s eyes. She shoved the Doctor away from her and let out a long bellowing cry as she stooped forward with her arms clutched tightly around her belly. She held her arm out to Eleven and shook her head as he made his approach. “The TARDIS,” she cried. “God, help her.”

There was no power on Earth, on Gallifrey, inside of Kasterborous, or inside the whole of the universe that was going to stop Tentoo from getting to his wife once he heard her cry. He was unapologetic as he shoved roughly past Vooax to leap across TARDIS debris to get to her. Her name was on and then past his lips as he made a second leap to land awkwardly at her side. He had to squeeze through Eleven to get to her and put both hands on her shoulders to direct her attention to him. “Rose…”

Rose looked at him through glowed eyes. “Help her,” she ordered harshly with a hard push toward the dying capsule. “Forget about me and forget about the cretin that hurt her. She’s more important right now.”

“No she’s not,” he bellowed angrily in response.

“She is,” Rose fired back shrilly. “That Capsule is our highest priority.”

“Not to me!”

Rose calmed instantly at the manic look of panic in his eyes. She pursed her lips to offer him a trio of little shushes. “My death won’t obliterate an entire solar system, Doctor,” her troubled voice argued softly. “Hers _will_. So the three of you really need to stabilize her.” She shot a glare to Vooax, who’s head was currently locked in the tight grip of Ulysses’ arm. “I’ll deal with sunshine over here.”

Tentoo shifted his eyes toward the melee he’d just run from. “I think Dad’s got it.”

“There are several guards on approach,” she muttered only a half-second before the room filled with red-skinned soldiers all carrying big guns and itchy trigger fingers. “Okay. I gave you that bit of information a tad too late.”

River Song’s voice ghosted across the shoulders of Tentoo and Rose. “I think we’re sorely outnumbered here,” she offered. “I don’t even have enough bullets for one a piece.”

“I know what to do,” Rose whispered.

Tentoo shook his head and took her hand in his to hold her back. “No, Rose. Don’t.”

“There’s no choice.”

“There’s always a choice,” he argued.

Rose shook her hand free of his and shook her head. “Not this time there isn’t.” She looked to the ceiling and inhaled deeply. “We have a TARDIS on approach. I’ll find a way for her to get in and then you guys all get onboard and then get out of here. I can handle Vooax and the dying TARDIS.”

He snatched her hand back into his and tugged her forcefully toward him. “If you think, for a second, that I’m going to take off and leave you here, then you’ve got another thing coming.”

“I don’t _think it_ ,” she countered coolly. “I _know_ it. She looked to the youngsters, who stood in a terrified huddle beside Ulysses. “Get them out of here and keep them safe.”   She pulled free of him again and walked quickly forward to prevent him taking hold of her once more.

“Rose, get back here,” he snarled somewhat viciously. “Don’t you _dare_ walk away from me.”

Rose shot him a brightly lit stare over her shoulder as she brought herself to the front of the group. “Don’t you _dare_ follow me, Doctor.” To punctuate her order, she held a palm out to him in a definite signal for him to _stop_ the advance he had involuntarily begun. He stopped his advance immediately, and even twisted to one side to back away. The expression on his face read utter confusion. “Rose?”

Vooax snickered a laugh through his nose at the exchange, and at the Doctor’s reluctance to disobey her demand.

“Having trouble with the little woman,” he teased with a look through his brows. “Is it possible that we have found the true fear of the mighty Oncoming Storm?” He circled around Rose and gave her a scathing raking of his eyes from head to feet and back to her head. “Scared of a _girl_?”

Ulysses snorted. “Then it’s clear that you’ve never been put up against a Gallifreyan woman?”

“Can’t say that I have.”

Eleven cleared his throat. “Lucky you. No Time Lord in his right mind would go against a Lady of Time and expect to get away with it.”

“Cowards.”

“No,” Ulysses’ countered with a smirk. “Intelligent.”

Vooax rolled his eyes at the banter from the men. He then leaned in to Rose and inhaled a deep sniff as though to take in as much of her scent as possible. Rose watched his movements with cautious eyes, but did little more than that.

“You smell like him,” he spat with a disgusted snort and a flick of his chin in Tentoo’s direction. “The disgusting aroma of arrogance and self-righteousness.” He held his finger and thumb close together to indicate size. “With just a splash of cowardice.”

Rose inhaled a deep breath through her nose and lifted her chin to show the level of arrogance that Vooax was accusing her of. “Cowardice,” she began calmly with a glare of warning toward the three Time Lords who were more than ready to break position and take control. “Is torturing and tearing apart an innocent and beautiful sentient being for nothing more than money and greed.”

He narrowed his gaze at her as Rose begun the same aggressive stalk of assessment that he had done earlier. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“The ship behind me,” she stated flatly. “You hurt her.”

He rolled his eyes with a snort. “You Gallifreyans are definitely a special species.” He dramatically leapt over debris to find himself beside the machine. He gave its shell a pair of hard slaps. “Everything is a _sentient creature_ to you people. This is a ship. A lifeless hunk of metal.”

“Is it?”

He jumped over the debris to snarl into her face. “Just metal. Like every other ship that flies in the skies above Gallifrey and across the universe. They’re lifeless pieces of junk ripe for the picking.”

Rose remained calm in her place. Her head did slowly move into a tilt as her eyes locked on his. “Her name is Pendrarleppinmormubvo,” Rose advised with a waver in her voice. “Her cradle sisters called her Pendra. Before she was stolen from her rightful Time Lord, Pendra’s destiny was as an exploration and research vessel. She was going to fly the entire universe, and, _oh_ , how excited she was after she was first introduced to her Lord and they formed their symbioltic link.” She spun her face to look at him with a harsh expression. “Did you know that the bond created between Time Lord and Capsule is equivalent to marriage and that a Time Lord is considered to be pair-bonded to his craft?”

“Do they also mate with their precious sentient machines,” Vooax teased in a sing-song voice.

River Song snarled in disgust. “You’re a pig.”

He groaned at the comment and slowly turned to look at River Song. “Jealous are you that your Doctor’s machine gets more affection than …?” His eyes shot open wide when he realized that the woman that was living, breathing and snarking at him was the one who was supposed to have been dead. “You!   How did you…?”

“Good question…” She looked darkly up at Rose, who stood at Vooax’s rear. “One that I’d like an answer to.”

“Later,” Tentoo warned with a growl. “Now’s not the best time.” He looked to his wife. “Rose, enough games. Come here. Please.”

“Oh,” Vooax said with a chuckle. “She’s mine to play with right now, Doctor.”

Rose’s voice ghosted huskily at Vooax’s ear as she stared into her husband’s worried and furious eyes. “Are you _married_ , Commander?”

“Why, you offering?” He licked at his lip. “Arrangements can be made.”

She hummed a happy sound and practically kissed at the shell of his ear before she took a step backward and moved a slide toward the dying ship. She leaned up against the splintering hull of the craft and crooked a finger toward the scarlet-skinned Vooax. “So you’re single then?”

Vooax thrilled at the bark of incredulity that exploded from the mouths of two of the Time Lords in reaction to Rose’s actions. As she paid no mind to it, neither did he. Instead me moved across the debris like a cat stalking its prey. “Looks like things just might get interesting today, after all.”

Rose’s look of invitation held only for another few moments. As soon as Vooax was within striking distance, Rose’s façade fell and the beast inside the woman leapt out to play. Her eyes flashed an angry golden flare that seemed to snap out at Vooax’s nose. He stumbled backward for escape and Rose snatched the opportunity to drive him hard down atop of the TARDIS debris. She drove her forearm across his collar and held him in place with her knee on his chest.

“Now don’t get me wrong,” she seethed into his face with just enough humour in her voice to make her absolutely terrifying to he and everyone watching. “ While I’m flattered. I’m already one half of a bonded pair.” She looked toward her group of friends, then behind her to the TARDIS, and finally back at Vooax. “But I have a very special young lady who’s just _dying_ to reach pout and create a bond with you. Trust me when I tell you that this lady is something special. But I think you should already know that…” Her voice went from terrifyingly humourous to downright dark and evil. “Considering you’ve spent the most formative decades of her life raping her like she was nothing but a whore built to satisfy your every need.”

“I don’t know,” he panted as he struggled under the weight of her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Pendrarleppinmormubvo,” Rose growled. “She didn’t even get to live a century among the stars before she was ripped away from her beloved Time Lord and was thrust before you all trussed up like a succulent prized pig. It didn’t take you too long to dive on in and rip her apart, did it?”

“Get off me,” he ordered hoarsely.

“Do you know that they feel pain, Vooax,” she continued in disgust. “Every time you plucked and ripped and tore a new piece off her that she screamed? She begged you to stop. She _begged_ you.”

“It’s a machine,” he corrected in a snarl. “Nothing but a _machine_!”

“Her _name_ ,” Rose yelled into his face. “Is Pendrarleppinmormubvo. Say it. Go on. Say it! Say. Her. Name.”

“Rose, that’s enough,” Tentoo ordered sharply. “Leave him alone and let’s just get out of here and find a way to get _Pendra_ safely _home_.”

Rose’s eyes cast up to glare toward him. “I think you need to go home now,” she responded with a glower.

“Not going anywhere without you,” he snapped back with a glower of equal darkness. His hand thrust out ahead of him. “Now come here.” He softened his voice to a tender coo. “Rose, come to me, Love.”

“I’m not done yet,” she warned as she looked back down to Vooax, whose face had taken on a distinctly purple shade. “Not until this monster understands what he did to her.”

“Listen to him,” Vooax choked. “Listen to your Lord. Or I’ll have you killed.”

“If you could, you would’ve already,” Rose said with a purr. Her eyes took on an unGallifreyan glow of amber fire and she looked toward the open hole in the wall.   “Everything must come to dust.”

Eleven’s voice called out her name with panicked sharpness as the walls around them began to crumble and fall. “Don’t’ do this. Not again. That power – at _that_ magnitude – you can’t. You can’t handle it.”

“You’ll burn,” Tentoo begged. “Please Rose. Let it go, just let it go.”

“I can never let go of this,” she answered softly at the ceiling over their heads evaporated and the darkness of space replaced the humming false light of the fluorescent tubes. “Get them out of here,” she begged the sky.

No longer protected by the thick metal hill of the Dyrroen battle ship, they all stood atop a metal platform no more than one hundred feet long.   The whir, whine, push and pull of straining TARDIS engines, and their buffeting winds of power, blasted each of them with merciless force.

Eleven covered at his eyes with his forearms as he tried valiantly to see through the whipping winds. The screaming of exhausted TARDIS engines, and the reason for such an horrific sound became apparent very quickly. The twin Police Boxes spun in a frantic orbit around the ship, leaving blue tails of pure time energies behind them to shield the craft inside their own parallel pocket of Time. And all at once, he realised just why it was that the Gallifreyan forces had not intervened to this point – the TARDISes had shielded them all from discovery at the hands of the War Council. His beloved ship and her sister were doing all in their power to protect them from detection, and protect Gallifrey from a final explosion of the dying Capsule.

But they couldn’t do it forever.   He could see their faltering galloping movements begin to cause fractures in their carefully created bubble.

“Oh girls,” he breathed out with profound pride. “You didn’t have to…”

“They can’t get us out,” Tentoo said gravely. “If they stop, they’ll fall. They don’t have the energy left to initiate any materializations.” He looked to Rory, Amy, River. “I’m so sorry. We’ve trapped you here.”

A third strained sound of whining and pulling engines shattered through the madness onboard the remains of the Dyrroen craft. Each pilot on the deck gasped in absolute disbelief as a third capsule suddenly ripped through the blue barrier created by the two blue Police boxes. She spun a moment in statis in their air as though seeking the best landing point, and then screeched through the air to land heavily behind Ulysses.

“That in the name of Omega,” he yelped as he took a stride backward. “Who’s flying my Capsule?”

The doors suddenly thrust open, and Marrisa’s head popped out through the doors. “Someone call for a cab?”

Ulysses looked stunned. “Beloved? You can fly…?” He stopped and looked toward Rose. “Never mind.”

Marissa flicked her hand urgently. “Well come on. All of you. Inside. Now. We don’t have much time.”

Tentoo launched from where he stood and dropped quickly beside Rose. He slid his arms around her waist and attempted to coax her off Vooax and into his arms to he could take her into the TARDIS. “Come on, Rose. Forget about him. Let’s go.”

“Get out of here,” Rose ordered on a quiet breath. “I have to secure this TARDIS and have her sent on her way.”

“No,” he argued hotly as he tightened his hold on her and attempted to haul her up. “Come on. Let’s go. That’s _not_ a request.”

“You don’t get to order me around,” Rose growled back. “Now get off me and get into the TARDIS.”

“And you think that you get to tell _me_ what to do,” he challenged. “We’re on _my_ planet, _sweetheart_.”

Their names were hollered from the doors of the TARDIS. Rose raised her head to see Ulysses signalling frantically from her doors as the disintegrating platform edges neared the outer edge of the Capsule footprint. “Come on, the both of you. Get in here, now.”

“I’m _trying_ ,” Tentoo yelled back.

“Yes,” Rose said calmly. “You are, aren’t you?”

“It’s what you do to me,” he replied softly. “Now come on, Rose. Please. We need to go.”

She looked into his soulful, ancient, hurt, lost and desperate eyes that pleaded desperately for her to please listen to him and join him on the TARDIS so they could both escape. Without a word she pressed her lips bruisingly against his and circled her hand around his neck to draw him yet closer to her. Tentoo didn’t stop her. He let his arms tighten around her waist and pulled her up tightly against him…

…And then he broke off and slumped to the ground beside her.

Rose uttered an apology as Ulysses bellowed out for his son across the rapidly disintegrating deck and ran out of the TARDIS for him.

“Take him into the TARDIS, take off, and don’t look back,” she ordered him sadly. “The girls and I have to get Pendra to her sun, and we don’t have enough time to be messing around.” She swallowed. “This could be a one-way trip, and I won’t let him take it with me.”

“I understand,” Ulysses said quietly with a gentle nod of his head.

She tapped at her temple. “This’s gonna burn me up anyway, an’ I dunno how to stop it.”

His breath caught at the tear stains down her cheeks, and the fresh tracks of terrified tears. “Are you sure about this?”

She nodded. “I’m the Wolf who saves Gallifrey, yeah? Isn’t that the prophecy?” She let out a quiet sob. “Me and the TARDIS girls. We’ll work it out.” She looked at her unconscious husband and stoked his face lovingly. “I’m still mad as hell at him for sending me away again.” She looked up at Ulysses. “But I love him, yeah? Love him more than anythin’. Make sure he knows.”

“I will, child.” He stroked at her arm and then leaned down to pull at the Doctor’s arm to haul him up over his shoulder. He groaned as he stood tall, but looked down at Rose with a smile of absolute and utter pride. “My daughter,” he said with a beaming grin. “You are now, and you always will be.”

“Go,” she said weakly. “Please.”

“Thank you.”

“Just go.”

Rose panted as she heard his thundering footfalls move away and then disappear behind the creaking of a TARDIS door. She thought she could hear her name being yelled through the door and almost jumped up to run to the ship, but the sudden wheeze and whine of the engines drowned out the sound and levered her back onto the floor.  

The machine disappeared into the blue barriers with a loud ripping sound that seemed to reverberate off both of the blue TARDIS machines as they increased their orbit around the remaining deck that held Rose, Vooax and the dying TARDIS capsule.

“Okay sisters,” Rose said softly with a smile as she crawled across the floor to sit in a lean up against the shell of the TARDIS. “Let’s connect with our fallen sister and then get her home, yeah?”

The light in Rose’s eyes increased with incredible brilliance that could have rivalled the brightness of Gallifrey’s second sun. The two TARDIS machines stopped their spin, but continued their orbit, and opened their doors to release their brilliant power to embrace the dying TARDIS.

She could feel the life within the machine slowly lose her grasp on her existence and twisted to lean her cheek on the side of the machine. “Good night Pendrarleppinmormubvo. It’s okay. We’ve got you. We’ll take you home.”

 


	51. Return to Gallifrey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Off the ship and back to Gallifrey. The Doctors, the companions, the parents and the kids, all return to Gallifrey minus three members of their party: Rose, TARDIS 1 and TARDIS 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank the stars for lunch-breaks, or I'd never get any writing done.

The two Doctor’s behaved more like young children as they both clamoured around the doors of the TARDIS waiting impatiently to rip open the doors and burst out into the sunshine of Gallifrey once they landed.

Tentoo had regained consciousness the moment that his father had dropped him to the grating beside the command console, and was immediately on his feet to join his brother at the door before his brain had even registered wakefulness. He had his hand on the tumbler and twisted it left to right as the ship lifted from the ground and lurched in a fight to find her path in the hurricane of forces that beat against her hull.

He screamed out with anger and terror for his wife and hissed hot demands at the ship and to his father to take them back.

“I’m not flying the capsule,” his father snarled back with impatience of his own as he watched his beloved wife expertly pilot his ship from the deck of the disintegrating Dyrroen craft and into the vortex.

…And they were _in_ the vortex – he could _feel_ it.

Theta looked to his parents with a deep crease between his brows. “I thought mother didn’t know how to pilot a capsule.”

“So did I,” Ulysses admitted with suspicion. He pressed a hand into the console’s edge and drummed his fingers in wait for an explanation. It didn’t come, so he drummed his fingers a little louder in hope that Marissa would hear his unspoken question.

“I’m not going to answer your question for you if you chose not to vocalize it,” Marissa huffed as she looked up at the monitor and winced. “And I should advise you all that it would be a terrific moment in time for you all to please … hold on to something.”

Tentoo turned quickly from where he face the doors to look at his mother with an arched brow. “Mum?”

“Yes,” she squeaked. “You need to hold on because this is going to get very rough.” She looked first to her husband and then to her two grown sons at the door. “Boys, I think I might need a little assistance in holding her steady once this blast wave hits. The readings suggest that it’s a rather large … Oh my…” She peeped as Ulysses quickly leaned across her to pull the monitor toward him. “Well you’re being a little rude don’t you think?”

“I will apologise for my rudeness once we are safe on the ground my love,” he murmured as he switched his gaze between the monitor and the control keypad. “My sons – my _adult_ sons – I will need your assistance in piloting this ship. We have a rather large shockwave on approach, and it’s going to take the efforts of all of us to not get caught up in its path.”

Tentoo and Eleven shared a brief look, and then separated to jog in forked paths up to the console. Tentoo leaned toward the monitor, took a brief look, and then winced as he took place in front of the stabilizer controls. “Just brilliant,” he droned.

“How big is it,” Eleven queried as he took post directly opposite to Tentoo.

Tentoo raised his eyes and screwed up one side of his face as he sought an adequate size comparison to answer that question. “Well,” he began. “It just took out the sister moon of Sheol out in the Adhira constellation.”

“Keollis?” His eyes were wide and stunned. “What else is in its way?”

Tentoo shook his head and offered him a look, but said nothing. He merely looked downward and took a grip on a pair of stabilizer controls seated on the side of the console mushroom.

Eleven winced. “Adhira is an uninhabited constellation, brother.”

“The constellation isn’t what’s bothering me…”

Eleven nodded slowly. “…It’s the source of the explosion.”

“Yeah.”

Ulysses tapped his fingertip on the monitor. “Supernova explosion at the solar centre,” he advised the two men. “The event wasn’t expected for another pair of centuries or so, but with the margin of error being two or three centuries, it isn’t beyond the realms of possibility that it was a natural event.”

“We all know that it wasn’t,” Tentoo muttered with a broken growl as his eyes shot up to his father. “You should’ve left me there with her.”

“When you become a father, and I mean _truly_ a father to a child loomed of the woman that your hearts beat for, then you’ll understand why I couldn’t just leave you there.”

“Take a good look at mother,” Tentoo countered brokenly. “Take a good look at her and just what you’ll do to protect her, and maybe you’ll understand why I’m never going to forgive you for taking me, and leaving her behind.”

“It was her wish.”

He inhaled deeply and blinked to let a tear roll quickly down his cheek, and then looked toward his brother, who wore an identical face of devastation. His head suddenly shot upward as the cloister bells trilled out a loud sound of warning.   He winced and swallowed hard.   “You lot had better hang on tight. This is definitely going to hurt.”

River was at Eleven’s side within a second of Tentoo’s warning. She clutched a white-knuckled grip of the console’s edge and looked with question toward her future husband. “What’s going on, Sweetie?”

“Nothing, River,” he answered shortly. “We’re just expecting to be in the middle of a shockwave from an exploding star.”

“That sounds very bad,” she said with a choke. “Very, very bad. Can the TARDIS handle a hit like that?”

“Of course she can,” Tentoo answered from across the console with a firm nod and a pet at the console. “These girls. Oh, but they’re built for this kind of thing.   Some capsules have been designed to be at the centre of a Supernova and come out with no damage at all.” He shrugged a feigned nonchalant shrug and tried his best to continue his babble with a wide smile. Noone on board was buying it. His breaking voice and wet sniffs betrayed his false joviality. “Welcome to the Time Lord TARDIS theme park, ladies and gentlemen. Strap in and enjoy the ride – it’s the best thrill you’ll ever experience.” He looked down to his hand and exhaled a shuddered breath as Amy slid her fingers in between his in a comforting gesture. His voice fell to a whisper. “Hold on tight, Amy Pond. It’s gonna get rough in here.”

“I’ve got you,” she whispered softly as she let her cheek fall on his shoulder. “So fall. I’ll catch you.”

He autonomously dipped his head to rest his cheek against hers, but not before pressing a kiss of appreciation into her hair. “Thanks, Amy.” His eyes then trailed across to look at Rory, who was hanging onto the arm of the jumpseat as though his life depended on it. He lifted his head wuickly and flicked a brow high on his forehead. “Rory?”

Rory flashed him a look. “Yeah?”

“Why are you in your _pants_?”

 

~~oooOOOooo~~

 

A tiny little tafelshrew held small hand-like paws to her mouth to gnaw on a seed she’d dug up from the roots of the red grasses underneath a Cadonwood sapling that had seeded itself at a small alcove at the very edge of the Magnolia orchard of the Lungbarrow home. It was a hot and sunny midday at the base of Mount Lung, and the diligent hunt for plump and delicious seeds had finally yielded the little rodent a succulent smorgasbord of seeds. Now that she had found her quarry, there was no way she was going to leave it before she’d taken and hidden every single available morsel.

…The cold cycle would by upon them in fairly short order. She needed to ensure that the tiny family growing inside her belly would have enough sustenance to get them through.   There was once a time that the house’s little sandy-haired resident would take care of her needs and covertly provide a warm, rag-filled box and crumbs from his dinner to keep her warm and fed… But he was no longer living in the home. He was sent off to school, and she was left all on her own.

Now she had to forage for her meals, and be like all of the other little tafelshrews who spent their time scampering and on the run from hungry predators looking for a light snack.

A gust of hot winds blew across the red grassy field, blustering with enough force to tumble the pregnant little rodent in a roll several feet away from where she had been feeding. She quickly scampered back to her place, not willing to run away and have her haven stolen by another tafelshrew looking to stock themselves up for the cold months.

The winds blew harder, and she found herself curling around the base of the Cadonwood sapling to hang on for dear life. She peeped in fright and scampered up the tiny trunk of the tree as the red grasses thickened to steel grey and the open air around her became a humming lighted room full of people who would tread on her without thought if she happened to wind up under foot and out of mind.

“Alyishohiava!”

She squeaked at the familiar voice and the familiar word and continued to hold firm as she looked up into a set of bright blue eyes peering through the legs of his much larger father.

Theta grinned widely. “Alyishohiava! Oh by Rassilon I thought I’d lost you.”

Ulysses looked down at his feet and at his son who was on his knees and in a rapid crawl toward the door. His expression immediately narrowed into a threatening glare. “Son, what are you…?” His eyes shot wide and his brows knitted tight together into a superior frown when he took sight of the little rodent on board his TARDIS. “Theta Sigma, you brought a _rodent_ on to my Capsule?”

Theta scooped the tiny animal into his hands and shook his head rapidly. “No, father. I didn’t.”

“Then what’s in your hand, young Lord,” he bellowed in a long growl.

“A tafelshrew, father,” Theta admitted. “But, I swear an oath to you that I didn’t bring Alyishohiavam onboard the Capsule.”

“She has a _name_ ,” Ulysses stated in a bland tone of accusation.

“Well, yes, she does. But that’s only because she was my friend before you sent me off to the academy.” His eyes widened and he coughed. “That isn’t to say that I allowed her inside of Lungbarrow. No. Of course not. I would see her when I went outside into the Magnolia Orchards to study.” He gave his dad an earnest look. “Honest. Only out in the orchard.”

Ulysses folded his arms across his chest and glared down at his child. “And you just _expect_ me to believe that this little rodent…”

“Alyishohiavam,” Theta corrected.

“Excuse me?”

“We determined a moment ago that she has a name. Her name is Alyishohiavam.”

“Are you being deliberately disrespectful to your father, Theta?”

“No, Sir. I’m not.”

“Then don’t interrupt me when I’m asking you a question.”

Marissa stooped beside Theta and put her hands on his shoulders to coax him to his feet. “Come on, Thete. Take your little friend outside, will you, before your father has a hearts attack.” She shook her head at Ulysses who looked positively livid. “Really, husband? Was that necessary?”

“He brought a filthy rodent onto my capsule.”

“No he didn’t,” she corrected him. “Capsule safety protocols ensure that living entities are drawn into a materializing capsule rather than being squashed underneath it.” She pointed to the open doorway to their capsule. “The Magnolia orchard is just outside.”

“The Tafelshrew has a _name_ ,” he growled in his defence. “A name! You would think, after the Cobblemouse incident in the Great Hall that he would’ve learned how I feel about these rodents that he decides to adopt as pets.”

“Oh get over it, Ulysses,” she sighed with a shake of her head. “That was more than a couple of celestial cycles ago.” She rubbed at his arm and moved in close to him. “Don’t make him think less of himself because of his compassion for all living things.”

“This empathy for lesser species will be his death, Marissa.”

“Actually,” Tentoo injected with a soft voice. “It’s my love for the _lesser_ species that gives me life.” He slid his hands deeply inside his trouser pockets and lumbered slowly toward the doors. He paused as he reached the doorway and looked back at his father. “I would’ve thought that after so many centuries of travel that you’d’ve realized who the truly lesser species are.” He inhaled deeply. “And believe me when I say that the tiny little tafelshrew there – she’s just as evolved and just as brilliant as half of the Lords who parade around Arcadia.” He turned back to the door and looked out into the sunshine from two orange suns. “Time Lords aren’t anywhere near as evolved and mighty as they think they are.”

“How could you say such a thing,” Ulysses hissed.

Tentoo sniffed and stepped over the threshold of the ship. “Spoilers.”

 

~~oooOOOooo~~

 

Eleven stood alone in the centre of the small red-grassed field beyond the doors of his father’s capsule. His thumbs were hooked underneath his suspenders and his head held high. He closed his eyes and let the kiss of the Gallifrey suns warm his aching face, sorely wishing that the sunslight had the ability to warm the cold that had settled inside his hearts.

“We’re here out of time again,” he stated without opening his eyes as Tentoo walked up beside him. “We’ve gone back almost four hours.”

“I know,” Tentoo said with a sigh. “We’re right back at the time I took off with the girls in the first place.”

Silence fell between them for a few moments.

“Can you feel her?” Eleven lowered his head and stared into the Magnolia orchard ahead of them. “Through the bond, I mean.”

“Yeah.”

“And?”

“She’s okay.” He wiped at one of his eyes with the back of his hand and sniffed. “I can’t say if she knows how to get back to us, or if she even can. But she’s alive.”

Eleven finally turned to face his brother and found himself gasping at the defeated way in which he held himself. It was tempting – very tempting – to fire off a quip or insult about how he looked, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead he opted to give him hope.

“We’ll find her.”

Tentoo snorted and shook his head. “No. She’ll find _us._ ” He swallowed and sniffed hard enough to draw his lip upward. “We are always rubbish at finding her, but she can always find her way to us.”

Eleven gave a small chuckle. “That’s _our_ Rose Tyler.”

“I’m terrifically mad at her,” Tentoo blurted suddenly. “So insanely mad.”

“So am I.”

Tentoo finally turned toward his brother and shifted in a step closer to him. “I don’t know exactly how I’m going to react if and when I see her again. I don’t.” He scratched at his sideburn and winced. He then thrust his hand deep inside his trouser pocket. “And that scares me. It really does.” He grunted. “Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Why can’t she just listen sand let me handle it for once? Just once?”

“Because, Sweetie,” River Song answered in a sing song voice as she moved in between both men and circled her arms around their hips. “Because if she did then she wouldn’t be your Rose Tyler, would she?”

Tentoo let out a huff. It was hard to tell if he agreed or disagreed, but it was obvious that he was pissed off beyond reasoning.

“And for the record, _sweetie,_ ” she looked into Tentoo’s face so he’d have no doubt which sweetie she was referring to. “If upon seeing your beloved again your greeting is anything less than a bone crushing hug, kiss, and a tonne of _I love yous_ that end with you making love to her on or against the nearest available surface, then I will _personally_ introduce your testicles to the muzzle of my weapon and turn you from Time Lord to Lady.” She petted his cheek in a spectacularly condescending manner. “Am I understood?”

His returning stare was flat, emotionless and dark. His voice was equally devoid of any real emotion other than annoyance. “I’m not scared of you, River Song.”

“You probably _should_ be,” Eleven offered with a shrug as River spun off, winked and walked back toward Amy and Rory. “I am.”

“The basis to a solid and loving relationship no doubt,” he droned flatly in response.

Eleven looked to River, Amy, Rory and then back to Tentoo. He leaned in and spoke in a conspiratorial manner. “I’ve told you. Me and River. We aren’t in any _relationship._ ”

“Of course you aren’t.” Tentoo shrugged and fisted his hands inside his pockets. He could detect the time signature of his ship in the distance across time and could feel her rapid approach. “The girls. They’re coming.”

“I know. I can feel her – _my_ ship.”

Tentoo nodded. “Yep.”

“Is Rose with them,” Eleven asked cautiously.

“Yep.”

Eleven looked warily toward his brother, whose upset toward his wife was palpable. As the winds kicked up around them and the screech from the vortex shifted to a whining pull and push of the TARDIS engines, he could see his brother’s emotions increase.

“Do me a favour, brother,” he ventured as the blue shimmer of materialization took their attentions to the field at their side.

“What’s that,” Tentoo asked impatiently.

“Don’t confuse fear with anger.”

“I’m not.”

“They’re brilliantly similar emotions,” Eleven warned him. “It’s easy to mix them up.”

The two TARDIS machines finally fully materialized on the red grasses of the Lungbarrow orchard lands. They sat silently on the grass, both exhausted and defeated from their flight. The darkened window sections of their doors, shadowed by the midday sun overhead, gave the illusion of gigantic anime pupils that looked up out of wide eyes to give them a terrifically innocent and devastated expression.   A loud hiss of released air escaped them both, and then they stood in absolute silence. Except for the quiet creak of aging hinges as the elder TARDIS door opened and a blonde head cautiously popped out for a look around.

Rose Tyler swallowed over a dry tongue as she pressed a shaking hand on the frame of the blue and white door and used her grip to pull her out of the machine. It took a long moment of letting her eyes dart cautiously around for her to realize where she had landed. She was somewhere on Gallifrey, that was obvious to her, but how she ended up here, she had no idea. She knew only that she had woken on the floor of the TARDIS and found herself completely alone mid-flight, with the Doctor nowhere to be seen. What had happened to him? Where was he?   Why was the TARDIS in flight without her pilot at the helm?

Had there been another Security One protocol put in place? Was he sending her away again? Judging by the swelling of her eyes and the pain inside her heart, there could be no other explanation. She wouldn’t be in this much pain if he was okay.

But by God, what had happened? Why couldn’t she remember?   And why was she clutching a large chunk of coral against her chest like it was the single most important thing in the universe?

A cry of her name moved through the grasses and drew her gaze upward. Fear shifted immediately to relief to see the Doctor – all three of them – standing against the light of the midday sun. Her fear immediately vanished and her mouth stretched into a wide smile. “Doctor,” she cried out as she launched into a run toward him. “Oh my God, Doctor. I was so worried!”

Tentoo moved quickly from his stoic stand beside his brother and his much younger self. The sight of his beautiful wife with bloodshot and swollen eyes, disheveled clothing and hair, and looking gaunt and exhausted, tore at the very last thread inside him. He stalked toward her like a hurricane, full of wind, rain, hail and fire.

Rose skidded to an immediate halt at the anger in his eyes. She clutched at the coral held to her chest and backed up when he opened up a tirade against her of the likes she had never heard before.

“Tell me Rose. Do you ever think before you act? Do you ever pause a moment to give thought about how your actions might affect everyone else around you. _Well_? Do you? Are you even capable of thought?”

“What…?” She spluttered in utter confusion as me moved in close enough to spray spittle against her face as he ranted.

“Or are you just so bloody selfish that you don’t even care about what kind of harm you can do to someone else – me – with your actions?”

“Doctor … I…”

“In what bloody realm of reality do you think that what you pulled on me today is in any way okay?”

“Please…”

“You don’t get it, do you, Rose? That stupid ape mind of yours just doesn’t get it at all. No. Of course not. How could I possibly think for a second that you being able to achieve a Time Lord consciousness would change that. Oh, you can take the girl from the Ape world, but you can’t take the ape out of the girl now, can we?”

“Why,” Rose hiccupped as fresh new tears rolled down along the tracks made by her old ones. “Why’re you yellin’ at me?” She clutched the coral piece tightly against her chest as though it were a soft teddybear, and lifted her shoulders upward as she dropped her head deep down into her neck. “Why, Doctor? What’d I do?”

 

 

 

 


	52. Wolf vs Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose isn't thrilled about being berated by her husband, so Tentoo and Rose have it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This kind of finishes up the additional arc I slipped into this fic. Edits for the remainder of the trip to Gallifrey will be extensive as so much has happened that changes what follows... So chances are it'll all be fresh work because I'm not quite sure just how much I can use of what's already been written..

 

_Previously on Journey...._

_“You don’t get it, do you, Rose? That stupid ape mind of yours just doesn’t get it at all. No. Of course not. How could I possibly think for a second that you being able to achieve a Time Lord consciousness would change that. Oh, you can take the girl from the Ape world, but you can’t take the ape out of the girl now, can we?”_

_“Why,” Rose hiccupped as fresh new tears rolled down along the tracks made by her old ones. “Why’re you yellin’ at me?” She clutched the coral piece tightly against her chest as though it were a soft teddybear, and lifted her shoulders upward as she dropped her head deep down into her neck. “Why, Doctor? What’d I do?”_

“What did you _do_?” he barked incredulously. “What did you do?!” He stepped back a moment and began to stalk a side to side pace in front of her. “Oh _that_ list is long.” He paused to look at her. “And, yes, I have a _list_ , Rose. A list!” He opened his arms wide to illustrate his claim. “A nice big list. So where would you like me to start?”

Rose clutched her coral teddy bear a little tighter against her chest. Her voice was still confused, but frustration was definitely entering the battle of emotions currently declaring war over her posture. “You have a list? Well, okay then. Do you think you could send it to me in a memo, Doctor?   I’d like a moment to review the contents of your _list_ before I let you continue to berate me like this.”

He stopped pacing and spun a tight twist to look at her with wide eyes. His voice was still aggressive as he spluttered a single word in response. “ _What_?”

She fought back a tear in her eye by lifting her head high and inhaling a wet sniff. “Obviously your _superior_ Time Lord senses don’t extend to the emotional stability of those around you, because you’ve missed the fact that while you’re yellin’ at me, I’m standing here scared an’ confused.”

His aggression washed away immediately and his face fell as he practically whispered his response. “What?”

Rose pointed back at the TARDIS she’d just exited with a hard just of her finger. “I just woke up on the floor of the TARDIS all alone. She was in flight, my head was pounding an’ I had an ache inside my chest like I’ve never felt before, and you were nowhere to be found.” Her arm circled the coral piece once again. “I had no idea where we were and what’d ‘appened to you.” She sniffed and that pesky, insistent little tear finally escaped her eye to roll down her cheek. “I finally see you, and all I want is for you to hold me an’ tell me you’re okay, and instead you barrel over to me and tear a strip off me like I’m a Dalek wanting to destroy the universe!” She could no longer breathe through a stuffy nose and so she inhaled a shaking breath through her mouth that fluttered her bottom lip against her teeth. Her voice weakened pitifully. “You ‘aven’t even checked if I’m okay, Doctor.”

Her name fell from his lips in a quiet voice full of remorse.

“An’ just so you know, Doctor,” she continued. “I’m not okay. I’m far from okay. I’m solar systems away from okay. But that’s alright. I’ll deal with it on my own. You’re obviously in your own state so just go ahead an’ keep yelling at me like I just killed your cat or something.” She took a step back as he stepped toward her with open arms asking her to come to him. She shook her head at him. “No. Don’t. Jus’ stay away from me. I don’t even wanna look at you right now.”

His fingertips brushed at the sleeve of her tunic as she turned away from him and he let his arm fall heavily to his side. “Rose. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“Of course you are,” she whispered over her shoulder. “You always are.”

Amy’s relieved voice trilled Rose’s name loudly as she dashed across the grass with arms wide open to collide heavily against her in the bone crushing hug that Rose had desperately wanted from her husband. Rory wasn’t that far behind Amy, and the Doctor watched regretfully as the man still clad only in his pants and undershirt hauled both women up off the ground in a bruising hug.

River Song shifted into position at his side and watched as her parents fussed over Rose only a handful of metres in front of them.

“I thought I warned you,” she began harshly.

“Give me your gun and I’ll do it myself,” he interrupted with a snarl.

“No,” she breathed out slowly. “I’ll give you a second chance, but only because I think Rose’ll get upset if you lose her favourite part of you.”

“Her favourite part of me is my hair,” he corrected quietly.

“That’s just what she _wants_ you to believe, Sweetie. This…” She gave him a wink and tapped the front of his trousers with a single pat that had him buck his hips backward with spectacular speed. She laughed. “That’s what we all like most. It’s the one part of you we _never_ want to change.”

“Delightful,” he intoned with a creak in his voice as he swallowed his embarrassment.

“Oh, but it is,” she teased with a wink and a lick at her lip. “Very. _Now_ , if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go check on the woman who saved my life and make sure that she’s okay – seeing you haven’t taken it upon yourself to press that issue further with her.”

“I haven’t exactly had the chance, now, have I?”

“Oh. You _had_ your chance, Sweetie,” she called back over her shoulder as she strode away. In her peripheral, she noticed _her_ Doctor cautiously approach _Rose’s_ Doctor, but she ignored the interaction between them both. Instead, she spread a smile across her cheeks and slipped in between her parents to pull Rose into a hug.

Rose peeped, but returned the affection of River Song with one arm circled around her shoulders. “Whatever I did,” she whispered hoarsely, “it must’ve been pretty epic.”

River Song pulled back in a rather rushed movement and held onto Rose’s shoulders as she looked into Rose’s face with a concerned stare. “You don’t know?”

Rose gave a tight shake of her head. “No idea.”

“Oh.”

Rose let out a breath and raked one hand through her hair. She gave her scalp a short scratch and spared her Doctor a glance before looking back to River Song. “I’m going to go with Bad Wolf,” she ventured with a hard sigh. “For him to be that mad at me means that the Big Bad Wolf made her appearance and probably emasculated him in some way.”

River snorted a short laugh. “No. He wasn’t emasculated – however entertaining that might have been to watch.” Her smile shifted from amused to apologetic. “Don’t be hard on him, Rose. He was terrified that he was going to lose you. Both of them, they were in a right state of panic that something was going to happen to you.”

Rose didn’t comment. She let her eyes shift toward Tentoo and held his apologetic gaze for a long couple of seconds before she looked back to River Song. “What happened?”

“You can’t tell me that you don’t remember it…”

Rose shook her head. “The last thing I remember before waking up on the TARDIS was bein’ told to stay at Lungbarrow when _your_ Doctor went back to get _mine_.” She slowly covered her mouth with her hand and frowned as she thought hard to recall something, anything about what happened after that. “We met his mum and dad and brother…”

River’s brows shot high. “Family reunion? How quaint. What’s Brax like, then?”

“Alright I guess, for a teenager.” Rose scratched at her head again. “Singing. There was singing in my head. Again. Just like the last time I couldn’t remember.” She slumped and let out a grunt as she looked to the TARDIS. “It’s _you_ isn’t it? You’re makin’ me forget it all.” Her brows dropped into a frown. “Like on the Gamestation! And thanks to you I was blindsided by the tirade of the Oncoming Storm! Ta for that.”

“You saved my life,” River blurted. “Amy told me that I was dead – or, I guess – as good as.”

“You _were_ dead,” Amy declared. “You were gone, and Rose…” she looked toward Rose with an expression more reverent than fearful. “Rose brought you back to us.”

Rose’s eyes widened. “Oh. Oh-kay. Is that why he’s so mad at me?” She swallowed hard. “The last time I did that the person became immortal and a fixed point in time.”

“Oh he’d better _not_ be mad at that,” Amy growled with a sharp look in the Doctor’s direction. “Because if that’s it then you’ll be bringing someone else back to life.”

Rose shrugged. “He’d regenerate, no need to revive him.”

Amy leaned forward and put her hands on her hips. Her voice trilled out of her mouth in a spectacularly condescending manner. “Well I’d kill him 12 times, then, wouldn’t I?”

River rolled her eyes at Amy, then looked to Rose. “No. He’s mad because you sent him away.”

Rose’s jaw fell open and she let out an _ahhh_ of understanding. “I sent him away…”

“Yes.”

“ _And_?”

River tipped her head and furrowed a confused brow. “And _what_?”

“Yeah,” Rose gruffed. She was beginning to get the picture now, and she didn’t like it too much. “And what _else_ , exactly. What else happened to piss him off like that. Because if he’s gone all Oncoming Storm in my direction for pulling the same prank he pulls on me – in fact that he _pulled_ on me in the first place – then I’m going to thump him.”

“Oh,” River breathed out as she considered it a little more. “Well. There was a dying TARDIS that was about to obliterate all of Kasterborous that you figured you had to deal with.”

“Did _I_ Kill her?”

“Well, no. I would probably say that you and the girls gave her life before her death.”

“So,” Rose ventured carefully. “I read a situation and noted its danger. I also found a probable solution that I believed had the potential to go really really badly an’ so I sent off anyone that wasn’t needed to put the solution into effect….”

“You sent him away because, yes, he probably would’ve been killed by the explosion of the reanimated supernova that the TARDIS held within her heart,” River said with a shrug and a nod of her head. “But as this Bad Wolf, you were protected.”

“Well. I guess so. I really don’t know all that much about this whole _Bad Wolf_ entity to say yay or nay to the protection bit.”

Amy was surprised by that. “You don’t?”

She shook her head. “He kind of shields me from it. Won’t talk about it.”

River hummed a surprised sound. “Okay. Well then let me tell you. Judging by just what it was that you managed to do _before_ you sent him away and then flipped the bird at a supernova, I’d say you had protection and then some. Rose…” she sighed with a shake of her head. “Your power. It’s something else. No Time Lord, Dalek, human… shit noone other than the Doctor can know about this.”

Rose pretty much ignored what River was saying to her. She seemed to lock on one very specific point of the discussion, and that was that the Doctor was upset because she’d sent him away – for his own safety.

“Oh,” she huffed inside a low throaty laugh over the top of anything else River was trying to say to her. “You bloody hypocritical bastard Time Lord.”

Amy’s brows shot high at that. “Well,” she managed. “I’m supposing that was probably the least offensive version of what you _really_ wanted to say.”

“I’m sure the TARDIS utilized the translation circuits on that one to filter out the actual swears and make it as clean as was possible,” Rory ventured with a chuckle.

Rose offered Rory a weak smile for his effort at humour and then stepped around him to clear any visual obstacle between her and Tentoo. “Is this how it’s gonna be,” she said with a soft and flat tone of voice. “You getting’ mad at me for doing the same thing you’ve done to me over and over again?” He opened his mouth to respond, but she halted him by raising her hand in a definite request for him to _stop._ “No,” she corrected herself. “Not _mad._ That wasn’t you bein’ mad. That was fury. You were furious at me because I learned from your lead and followed suit.”

 

“That’s not it,” he defended quietly as he watched her slow approach with wary eyes. “That’s not even halfway close to the real issue.”

She stopped her approach when she was only feet away from him. She noted the cautious look he gave her as she hugged the coral against her bosom inside a defiant fold of her arms across her chest. “Then what is it? What did I do that was so wrong that you had to rush at me like a bull the second I got out of the TARDIS?”

She could see the hesitation in his eyes at her question. She could see and even feel his reluctance to give her the honest answer that she asked him for.

“Answer me,” she whispered hoarsely. “Tell me why you’re so mad at me.”

“I’m not,” he shot back quickly. “Not anymore.”

Rose stared at him for a moment just waiting, hoping, that he would give her something without her having to force it out of him. He said nothing except to affirm the vow that he loved her.

“I love you too,” she clarified softly with her eyes locked to his. “More than you could ever possibly imagine in that big old Time Lord brain of yours.”

He immediately moved toward her with his arms outstretched and her name on his lips. Rose watched his approach never taking her eyes from his, even as his arms slipped around her waist, his eyes fluttered closed and he dipped his head to press his mouth to hers.

“But it’s not enough, is it?” she murmured against his mouth before he could firmly press his lips against hers. “I’m sorry, Doctor.”

His arms stiffened around her, but he didn’t release her. He lifted his head to search her face for answers.   “What’re you saying?”

Her face contorted into a pained expression as she writhed out of his hold. “I’m going home.”

He took a step to follow her as she walked toward the TARDIS and reached out to take her hand in his. He frowned that she held so tightly to that piece of coral that she had no free hands for him to take, and so reached to hook his hand through her arm instead. “Then I’m coming with you.”

She stopped in her tracks and looked at where his hand was hooked around her elbow. She then lifted her head to look into the despairing expression that he was trying so desperately to hide behind calm nonchalance. “Not necessary. I’ll send her back to you.” She smiled and pointed up to the amber sky. “Then you’re free to go back to what you love to do, Doctor – to travel the stars, the universe, time. Without a _stupid ape_ doing _stupid ape stuff_ to piss you off.”

“No,” he whispered hoarsely as his fingers on her elbow tightened their grip. “No. No no no no no. No. No. I didn’t mean that, Rose. I didn’t.”

She twisted out of his hold and stepped away from him. “Just let me go.”

He snatched her elbow again and held onto it tightly. “No. I won’t.”

 She yanked herself out of his hold and quickly moved toward the TARDIS before he could reach for her again. “Doctor, please…” She pushed on the door of the TARDIS and grunted to find it locked. With a roll of her eyes as she felt the Doctor’s chest press in lightly against her back and his arms move either side of her shoulders to cage her in against the door, she pulled her key from underneath the collar of her tunic. “I’m warning you, Doctor.”

“I’m not letting you go anywhere without me,” he shot back. “Until you and I have this sorted out there will be no space hops, no parallel jumps, and no time travelling.”

“Whatever you say _Dad_ ,” she drawled in a deliberately facetious drawl as she slid the key into the TARDIS lock. She tried to turn the key and let out a growl when it didn’t budge. “What? Oh Come on.” Her lip curled when the key refused to turn the tumbler, and she could feel the grin of victory in the man behind her. “No,” she yelled at the ship as she gave it a hard slap just below the window. “Don’t you _dare_ do this to me. Don’t! It’s not fair!”

“She’s a smart girl,” he whispered against her ear. “She wants to make sure that her parents kiss and make up, not separate and split up.”

Rose spun inside the cage of his arms and pressed her back against the door. “She’s always on your side,” she charged. “It doesn’t matter that I was the one who nurtured her for so many months and then gave her life…”

“She knows we belong together, Rose,” he stated softly as he shifted one of his hands off the door of the TARDIS to drag his fingertips from her temple to her lip. “The Doctor and Rose Tyler, in the TARDIS. Our _forevers_ spent together. As it _should_ be.”

“Don’t,” she whined softly. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Switch from pissed off to and hating me to tender and loving me so quick like that. You’re messin’ with my head, and it hurts enough as it is right now.”

“You scared me, today,” he admitted suddenly. “That’s why I was so upset. I didn’t think there was any way that you could possibly survive that explosion, and you just sent me away like you thought it wouldn’t destroy me to lose you.” His hand moved to press at the door to the TARDIS again. “You tricked me and knocked me out – without giving me a choice.”

She found release at that declaration and quickly bent at the knees to escape underneath his arms. She huffed as she quickly strode away and twisted her body so that she could point an angry finger at him. “But it’s always _okay_ for you to do it to me? You’ve taken away my choice to stay at your side more times that I care to count.”

“To keep you safe,” he barked with exasperation. “Like I promised your mother I would!”

“What about your promise to let me spend the rest of my life with you, Doctor? Does that promise mean nothing to you?”

“Rose…”

“Because you constantly finding ways to send me away isn’t exactly fillin’ me with happy happy joy joy secure in my marriage feelings now, is it?” She spun around to look at him as she continued to make her retreat. “Be thankful that I want to go home – it’s what you keep tellin’ me you want every time you send me away.”

He scratched at the back of his neck in irritation and then folded his arms sharply across his chest. “Fine then, Rose. If that’s what you want, then leave. Take the TARDIS, I don’t need it.” He gave a sulky look to one side as he sniffed his lip up into a curl. “I’m on Gallifrey, I can take another one.”

“Nice to know that she and I are so important to you,” she snapped back.

He shot her a glare. “There’s obviously no way I can convince you otherwise, Rose, so yeah. Go right ahead and believe that if it’ll make you feel better.”

“I will,” She growled as she spun to continue her stalking. She half yelped as she collided with a sandy-haired young boy with piercing blue eyes rimmed with red and wide as saucers. “Sorry, Thete. I didn’t see you there.”

“Don’t do this,” he whimpered softly. “Don’t let me lose you because of this misunderstanding.”

She crouched in front of him and looked up into his face. “I can’t keep doing this. He can’t go getting’ mad at me because I did what he keeps doing to me.” She lifted her hand to cup his cheek. “My hearts can’t handle it.”

He sniffed. “Do you understand just what happened up there, Arkytior? Do you remember how bad it was and how desperate he was to make sure he could still hold you to him when it was all over?”

“We’ve been through worse things, Thete,” she assured him gently. “Much worse.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“He’s right, Rose,” Eleven added gravely. “That event should’ve been non-survivable. You were falling apart and burning up. Nothing we’ve ever faced together was like this.”

Rose shook her head. “No, Doctor. That’s not how it went.”

“How would you know,” Eleven queried gently. “You don’t remember anything.”

Theta lifted his hands and put them either side of Rose’s head. “I’m not really skilled at this, but I want to try. Let me show you what you don’t remember.”

Rose pressed her hands against his and shook her head. “No. Don’t go in there.”

“You need to know why he is so upset, Arkytior,” Theta begged. “See what we saw and understand his pain. Don’t punish him for loving you like he does – don’t punish _me_.” He smiled a tear-stained stretch of his lips across his cheeks. “Will you do it for me?”

Rose blinked slowly, which released a stream of tears that cascaded down her cheeks and over his little thumbs. She inhaled a wet sniff and nodded. “Contact?”

Theta leaned down to press a little kiss against her forehead. “Contact.”

The surge into her mind was like a tidal wave of feelings and visions of everything that occurred on board the Dyrroen vessel. Rose let out a cry at the barrage of memories that had been suppressed by a protective TARDIS. She saw herself surrounded in golden light, commanding the energies of time like a her own personal weapon. She could feel her Doctor’s panic and his devastation at the energies searing into her mind, and of the potential emotional storm that would engulf her when she realized what she’d done. An entire craft of soldiers whose only crime was to obediently follow their insane commander’s orders, all of them destroyed at her hand.

The TARDIS – Pendra – screaming inside her mind and drawing her into an abyss of agonizing pain as she and the twin TARDISes merged to prevent a paradoxical disaster upon Gallifrey, Kasterborous, and the entire universe.

The Doctor. _Her Doctor_. His demand for her to take his hand and retreat. His vehemence in letting her remain without him. His mind screaming across their bond, begging her that if they were doing to die – it had to be together.

Her betrayal as she ignored his plea and used their connection to instead have him stumble into unconsciousness and force him to abandon her.

She shook her head. It was enough. She didn’t want to see anymore, but Theta’s inexperience was causing a stampede in her already injured mind. Her voice cried out for him to stop, and he was torn from her mind with a vicious pop.

He staggered backward into his mother’s legs. “Arkytior, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to show you that much.”

Rose stumbled into a backward fall and found herself sagging heavily into a heaving chest behind her. She turned her head into the chest and lifted her hand to grab at whatever lapel she could find to try to stop from shattering into the fall completely. Her hand fisted a brown pinstriped collar and with blurring eyes she looked down to see a leg stretched out beside her in the same brown strips with a dirty white Converse shoe poking out of the lower hem.

“Rose,” he whispered worriedly against her ear as his arms slid around her waist. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you.” He rocked her gently. “I’ve always got you.”

She hiccupped. “Don’t let me leave you, Doctor. Please.”

“Never,” he whispered almost inaudibly. “You’re stuck with me, Rose. The rest of my life.”

She pulled at the lapel she’d fisted when she’d first stumbled, and pulled it over her face to hide herself against his chest and under his blazer. “I’m so sorry, Doctor. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

She shook her head against his chest. “It’s not. This thing, this Bad Wolf, it just takes control of me.”

“I know,” he said gently. “We’ll work on it, Rose. I promise. You and me, we’ll work it out. Together. Okay?”

Rose nodded, but kept her face hidden under his blazer.

The Doctor felt a shadow fall over them and looked up to see Eleven flanked by both River Song and Theta. He offered them a smile. “Give us a mo?”

Eleven shook his head. “You’ll have to make up later. Right now, we’ve got to send the kids back to class. We’ve got a bit of a paradox to prevent.”

Tentoo winced. “Do we have to? Is it _really_ a fixed point?”

“You’re a Time Lord, so I really hope that you’re not seriously asking me that question because you don’t know the answer.”

Tentoo rolled his eyes, but nodded. He opened his blazer just a little bit to peer down at his whimpering wife. “Rose? I really hate to have to do this, but…”

“I know,” she sighed as she nestled in closer to him and pulled the side of his blazer back over her face. It was an action that drew the smallest of chuckles from inside his chest. “Just. Can I have five more minutes in here?”

He held her tighter and nodded. “Of course you can, just don’t fall asleep. I don’t want drool marks on my Oxford.” One side of his mouth curled into a half-smile that quickly fell when he looked back up to his brother. “Does this really have to happen now? It’s too soon, and she’s already been through enough. Let’s give the girls a day or so to recover and then we’ll fly back into now and they can do what needs to be done when they’re both not exhausted.”

“Do you want to risk our TARDISes not behaving and getting us here at the right time.” He narrowed his eyes to the pair of blue boxes only a few metres away. “And, yes, I’m talking about the two of you.” He quickly lifted his hand to point his finger between them. “And don’t you sit there pouting and pretending like this is always _our_ fault.”

Tentoo sighed hard in resignation. “That’s a very good point.”

“We should’ve focused a little better in TARDIS flight training back at the academy,” Eleven mused gruffly to himself as he gave his head a good scratch. “Then maybe the girls wouldn’t be able to walk all over us like they do.” He looked to Theta. “Hear that? Study harder.”

“Nah,” Tentoo drawled with a grin. “Their sneaky bypass of our piloting commands is what makes travelling with them so much fun.”

“Good point.”

Tentoo’s brow lifted slowly as he felt the distinctive wet and warm sensation pooling on his chest. “Now as for the constant defiance of our companions …” He bounced his shoulders and chest under his wife’s head. “Rose. I told you not to fall asleep. Wakey wakey, up and at them, Allons-y!”

She spluttered as she flew up off his chest and blinked into the sunlight. “I’m up! Totally up. Didn’t fall asleep.”

Tentoo’s face was scrunched up in disgust as he flicked his fingers along the wet patch on his oxford. “Yeah, well the drool spot on my tie and shirt tell me otherwise.”

She shrugged as she carefully drew herself to a stand. “Not my fault you’re so comfy.”

Amy’s brow flicked as she took in the shape of Tentoo’s chest now that she was granted with the rare occurrence of his open blazer so she could actually take notice. “He’s kind’ve skinny, Rose. How can bones be comfy?”

She answered through a yawn. “You’d be surprised.” She let out a squeak as his arms slid around her waist from behind her and leaned back into his chest.

“I’ll have you know, Amy Pond, that my chest is a very comfortable pillow.”

Any sniffed and rolled her eyes. She pointed toward her Husband and circled her finger around his chest. “Yeah, well I like pillow-tops, not futons, so yeah but no ta.”

Rory frowned an immediate look of hurt and awkwardly shifted his arms to attempt to cover his chest. “What are you saying, Amy? That I’m carrying a bit of weight?”

“Well now that you mention it…”

Rose had her head tilted to look at Rory as he continued to try and cover up. “Rory,” she called out curiously. “Why are you in your pants?”

His answer was muffled by Tentoo snorting a laugh into her ear. “I was wondering the same thing.”

“It’s probably one of those _best we don’t ask_ scenarios.”

“Speaking of _asking_ ,” he began as he set his chin on her shoulder and looked down at the coral that Rose still held in her hand. “I’ve been meaning to question you about the coral you have in your hand. Is our TARDIS injured?”

Rose looked down into her arms at the coral she still held protectively against her chest. “No. This isn’t from our TARDIS,” she said softly. “This little one’s song is different.”

He stiffened a little and shared a look with his brother. “The coral is _singing_ to you?”

“Oh yes,” she breathed with a smile as she closed her eyes and did a dreamy sway. “Such a lovely song, too.” She took his hand from her belly and lifted it to hold it against the coral. “Listen to her, Doctor. Her song is heartbreaking with how beautiful it is.”

Tentoo closed his eyes and reached out his mind to capture the song being sung into Rose’s mind. He gasped when he heard the dulcet tones of a TARDIS melody swirl inside his head. “Pendrarleppinmormubvo,” he whispered softly as he opened his eyes and looked down to Rose with a loving smile. “She’s chosen her new bondmate, Rose.”

“Pardon me?”

“Pendra was a female capsule,” he lectured lightly. “And as a female, she has the organic protyon unit structure to be able to grow a clone of herself.” He stroked his fingertip on the coral piece. “She could’ve just given up and died – the loss of her bond with her Time Lord will typically make a TARDIS do just that – but not Pendra. No. Not her. She wanted to live. To thrive. To find herself a new Time Lord and travel the universe like she was born to do.”

Rose couldn’t fight Tentoo’s infectious grin and smiled right along with him. “So she didn’t really die? This is her?”

“Oh yes,” he breathed with a wide grin. “She must’ve seen what a wonderful job you did with our TARDIS and chose _you_ to create her symbiotic bond with.”

“Oh, but…”

“Oh, this is just brilliant,” he cheered excitedly. “Wonderful. Brilliant. Molto bene! A new TARDIS, Rose! Our TARDIS will have a sister in our parallel world!” He spun Rose in front of him and cupped both sides of her face to pull her into a hard and very chaste kiss against her mouth. He released Rose’s mouth with a loud pop and pulled back from her quickly enough to make her stumble. He clutched his hands behind his head and began to pace as his mind ran several hundred miles per minute. “Oh, but we have so much to do to get her ready and prepared to grow. I know that you did a brilliant job with our TARDIS, but I’d like to take things a little more slowly with our new TARDIS. She’s going to be very tender and fragile from her ordeal in the hands of the Dyrroes, so if we give her some more time to regain her strength, then I’m sure she’ll grow to be strong and beautiful just like she was before Vooax got his filthy hands on her.” He paused. He thought. He paced again. “I don’t want her to grow at Torchwood. No. Absolutely not. Our little Pendra needs nurturing after everything she’s been through. Love and tender care – that’s what the Doctor orders.” His eyes widened in excitement. “Rose! We have the most _perfect_ room at the house to give her to let her thrive. The guest room that overlooks the Evan’s apple grove. How perfect! She can watch the growth of the orchard trees and use that to inspire her own growth and shape. Imagine that, Rose! Apple tree TARDIS! _Brilliant._ ”

Rose’s eyes were wide on her pacing and excited Doctor and she barely noticed as the Time Travelling party formed a small group either side of her. Eleven’s presence was obvious, however, she could always sense when the Doctor was nearby.

“I’ve lost him, now, haven’t I?”

Eleven chuckled. “Quite likely so.”

She cast her eyes toward him and noted the slight bounce in his stand, the light tick in his eye and the slightly forward lean in his chest.  “You _too_?”

“Hmmm, what?”

She rolled her head back and let out a moan. “Oh go on then. Go join your brother and the two of you can gush and plot and plan and come up with a full series of schematics designed for the most efficient and _nurturing_ TARDIS growing environment.” She watched his widening grin. “River and Thete and I will head back to the academy.”

“That sounds like a very good idea, Rose Tyler,” he muttered with a grin as he bounced on the balls of his feet with impatience to run toward his brother so that they could conspire together. “Would you like me to, you know, tell him you love him?”

“You can give him a kiss from me too, if you want.”

He frowned. “Well I don’t particularly _want_ to, but if you want me to then I will.”

“Oh yeah, course she does,” Rory piped in with a throaty voice. “Plenty of tongue and petting involved too.” He lifted his shoulders at Amy’s dark glare. “ _What_? You’ve seen these two when they get their smooch on. There’s no little pecks happening there.”

Rose snorted in amusement. “No need to give him a kiss, Doctor. I’ll see to that when the day is done.”

“That,” he said with relief. “Is good to hear.” He clapped his hands. “Now chop chop! Off to school with you.”

“Of course,” Rose replied with a forced sigh. “But before I go.” She held out her piece of coral to him. “Would you mind babysitting for me?”

 

 


	53. Rassilon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rassilon arrives at Campus

He strode into the main campus administrative office with all of the grace and regality of an all-powerful being. Other Lords of Time stooped respectfully to his presence as he passed by. He offered them no words and no graceful acknowledgement of their presence, but they respected him none-the-less.

He drew appreciation of all forms from both Lords and Ladies alike. He knew of his power. He knew of his charm. He was more than aware of his attractiveness to the opposite sex. Rassilon didn’t need to be a Prydonian Master of Telepathy to know that, it was quite openly expressed in the light blushes and smiles of the female administrative staff.

Rassilon paid no mind to any of the shocked reactions to his presence at Cadon Campus. He was by no means expected and therefore he expected there to be shock and perhaps awe from any of the other Academy Administrators. In this time, Rassilon was long inside his tomb in the Dark Tower. He would not be brought back into mortal form for many centuries to come, and his current regeneration was almost 900 years separated by future timelines to this current date. That didn’t mean, however, that his identity would be questioned or his presence at doubt among the Time Lord communities. Gallifrey was the gateway to all time and space, and Rassilon one of her founding fathers, it wasn't out of the realm of possibility that a Lord such as himself could return to times gone by in order to answer to time's demands.

His gait was regal, his expression smugly imperial, as he breezed with an almost ghost-like glide across the floor toward the main meeting room within the deepest chamber of the facility. He let his fingertips stroke at his perfectly dimpled chin as he walked through the door and addressed the small gathering of older Lords.

"Greetings to you fellow Lords," he smoothed out along a deep voice. "I understand we have a disturbance on Campus that needs attention."

Lovolruvalliplagnornelanlorir bowed with respect. "Rassilon, I thank you for responding to our call across timelines."

Rasillon raised a hand to ask for him to stay at ease in his presence. "As you know, it is a call I have been expecting, old friend." He flicked his Robe open as he fell heavily into a plush boardroom chair. “Thank you for sending Gallifrey’s most respected capsule pilot to escort me.”

“It was at _your_ request that Ulysseslolruthipirdolungbarrowmas be sent to escort your capsule.”

Rassilon smirked a one-sided grin. “Indeed. And speaking of Ulysses, where is he? I had expressed quite strongly the need to have him here for this meeting.”

“His presence is unnecessary really,” Lovolruvalliplagnornelanlorir sneered. “Ulysses is not a scholar, nor a high-ranking council member, and therefore should not be expected to participate.”

Rassilon smirked darkly. “Oh. I feel that his presence is very important.”

“And why would that be?” Ansitorodrall, a young-looking Lord with Blonde hair that whispered against high and prominent cheekbones, asked curiously.

“That is not a matter of concern to you at this juncture,” he began with a look of warning toward the younger lord.

“And why is that, Rassilon?”

“You are new to council, Anistorodrall. I would suggest that you mind your standing and not question the Lord President and Grand Master of all Time Lords. Now, take a seat, open your ears and close your mouth. The _adults_ are talking.” He didn’t see the furious flare in Anistorodrall’s eyes at the barb as looked to the other three men in the gathering. "While we await the arrival of Ulysseslolruthipirdolungbarrowmas, let us discuss matters, shall we? I understand that the prophesized one has arrived as predicted."

Lovolruvalliplagnornelanlorir indicated a seat at the circular table with a wave of his hand. "It would appear that she has arrived," he answered on a long tone. "In my lecture this morning I felt the distinct presence of the power of Time and of TARDIS in my lecture hall."

"Really?" Rassilon breathed. "You sensed the essence of both? Well, that is interesting, isn’t it?”

Lovolruvalliplagnornelanlorir gave a firm nod and swallowed with obvious discomfort. “Indeed, Lord President, however it existed the forms of two women, not one. Two new faces of which I have never seen.”

Rassilon looked pleased by this revelation. “So this means that we have the two daughters born of the womb across Space, on our campus?" His smile was wide and so very dark. "Is the young lord-master also on Campus today?"

"It is my understanding that the necessary events to lead the young lord along his path are in place as scheduled." He shared a smile to another Lord – an older man with white hair and sunken features. "Is this correct?"

The Lord closed his eyes slowly to indicate the affirmative. "The young lad, called Wormhole…"

"That appellation will not be used in association with this Lord, Altamono," Rassilon snapped quickly.

"And what designation do we nominate for this child," Altamono snapped in response. "His name has been long removed from our tongue – at your demand – and you are disallowing us to refer to him by the name you say he's chosen in its place."

"His designation," Rassilon warned, "for this moment in time will be Theta Sigma, such as he has chosen for his academic incarnation." He took a seat, finally, and flicked his long crimson robe behind him to fan out over the back of the chair. "For the purposes of any discussions held by council relating to this child and his far-distant future, he will be referred to as the young Lord. We cannot and _will not_ take the risk of revealing his future to him. By way of whispering walls" He looked to Lovolruvalliplagnornelanlorir. "Lovol. Are we absolutely sure that the prophesized ones have arrived at Cadon. And is the Time Lord of her time also on campus?"

Lovolruvalliplagnornelanlorir shook his head. "I have not felt the presence of any Lord of Time on campus who is here out of his own time." He settled in his seat. "However, I confirm that we have two new female pupils, both out of time with claim to Lungbarrow."

“And their names are?”              

“Riversongtevabrulungbarrowmas and Arkytiorlimmealungbarrowmas, River and Rose respectively.”

Altamono snorted derisively. "There are no known female pupils from Lungbarrow on our registry. Has that house once again taken it upon themselves to defy the rules set by the Capitol to loom themselves new cousins?" His expression of disgust settled firmly across his face. "Lungbarrow is a joke."

Rassilon raised a hand for silence. "That house is to be respected, Altamono. As I would expect you would demand for yours.” He inhaled a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. “The girl called Rose was granted birthright to Lungbarrow at my order."

“Are you suggesting that she was not loomed in one of the chapterhouses, Lord President?”

“She wasn’t loomed at all, Altamono,” Rassilon breathed tiredly. “She was born of the womb on a level five planet in the third sector.”

“Sol III?”

“Yes.”

"A human," he snarled in response. "You granted birthright to a chapterhouse of Prydon to a _human_ child?" He thumbed with disgust at his nose. "I question your decision, Grand Master, on allowing a child of a species so beneath the children of Gallifrey the rights of a Time Lord."

"Rose might be a human," Rassilon corrected. "But she is one with such immeasurable strength that she absorbed the entire Vortex of time, symbiotically linked to and flew a TARDIS, and destroyed an entire Dalek fleet with the wave of her hand." His brow flicked in challenge. "Show me one daughter of Gallifrey who has performed such a feat."

"I'm sorry, _what_?"

Lovolruvalliplagnornelanlorir breathed out a hard breath. "That should have been non-survivable."

"And yet she did,” Rassilon replied with a grin.

“If true, Lord President,” Lovolruvalliplagnornelanlori offered quietly. “Then what kind of entity is she?”

“A Gallifreyean child alone cannot end the war that is to come," Rassilon warned darkly. "It will end because of a Time Lord's deep affections toward a woman unaffected by our war, one who does not hold the arrogance of a Lord of Gallifrey, a woman who's only hold upon Gallifrey are the beating hearts of a Lord who without her would otherwise destroy us."

"The Wolf and the Storm," Lovolruvalliplagnornelanlorir breathed quietly. “But that’s just legend, Rassilon. Legend and fairy tales to tell our Loomlings.”

“Absolute nonsense,” Altamono charged. “Your soothsayer is insane.”

Rassilon leaned down on the table on his elbow, his hand extended and balled into a fist. "It isn’t nonsense. The Wolf and the Storm are real," he growled. "Together they possess a combination of powers that if not allied with us, can and _will_ destroy our planet."

"And are you absolutely sure that you know who these children are," Ansitorodrall asked rather timidly. "We don't want to put our faith upon a human child if she isn't the one and risk ignoring the true savior of Gallifrey."

"Trust me," Rassilon muttered with a smirk. "I have seen the future, my fellow Lords. I have seen our destruction; and I have seen our salvation."

"Then if it is so written," Altamono challenged derisively, "Then what do you propose that we do? I will venture a guess that we don't meet at this time to raise our glasses and celebrate that this _human_ arrived at the correct moment in time." He pressed his finger into the table top. "And might I remind you, Rassilon, that no lesser species are permitted on Gallifrey, much less within our Academy walls. These are _your_ laws."

"And if these laws are indeed mine, then they are _mine_ to break. The humans are here with the permission of the Supreme Council," Rassilon answered flatly. His eyes narrowed at Altamono. "I ask of you, Lord Altamono: Are you going to continue to question your Lord President and the entire Council of Lords?"

"I will most certainly seek audience with them to express my _concerns_ ," he warned.

"An audience that I will arrange on your behalf," Rassilon snarled. "I will warn you, however, that any interference prior to your audience with council will be dealt with in the most severe manner."

"I'm sure it will." He folded his arms across his chest. "I will expect, then, that your interference, or assistance, will be withheld also."

"Where necessary," Rassilon ground out. "I will stand as an observer to Gallifrey's new daughters, however, lest there be any _unfortunate_ incidences that may well lead to the fall of the prophecy." His glare darkened. "I will not jeopardize Gallifrey and her children because of your intolerance to what you perceive lesser species."

"You can talk," he snapped. "You're the most intolerant of us all. These are your laws, Rassilon."

"Laws that I have since learned that require obvious adjustment."

"You should be embarrassed to hold the fate of Gallifrey in the hands of such a lesser species," Altamono snarled in return. "It is a disgrace. And it is blasphemy that you open the pathways to a Time Lord/Human bonding."

"It is a pair bonding of two Time Lords," Rassilon corrected. "The Wolf is not human, and hasn't been since the child absorbed the Time Vortex."

Lovolruvalliplagnornelanlorir ran his palm over his chin. "Texts suggest that the young Wolf was never completely human to begin with," he offered. "She was a child of Time born to human parents. Conceived on the eve of a solar flare that exploded across the universe."

"We will never know," Rassilon offered. His smile was, however, indicative of his thrill at the suggestion. "But that would explain the almost desperate attraction of her Time Lord. How can he not become besotted with Time herself?"

"Legends state that the Storm was considered a Time Lord who could never love," Lovolruvalliplagnornelanlorir said with a high brow. "But for the Wolf he falls upon a knee at her feet with absolute reverent devotion."

"You are treading awfully close toward romanticism there, old friend." Rassilon chuckled. "Unbecoming of a Time Lord."

"Would you not fall in love with Time if she reached for you, my friend?"

"I wouldn’t be a Lord of Time if I didn't."

“And trust me my fellow Lords,” Ulysses said by way of announcing his arrival as he strode hurriedly through the doors to the office. “Had I not been the lesser half of my own pair bonding, I would have fallen to my knees at her feet and offered her my very soul, such was her magnificence.” He gave a light tilt of his head toward Rassilon. “Lord President. Please excuse my tardiness, but a situation arose that commanded my full attention.”

Altamono growled. “Ulysseslolruthipirdolungbarrowmas, what matter could you possibly have embroiled yourself in that warrants such disrespect for your Lord President and his time that you would show up late to a meeting?”

Ulysses grinned a smile of disdain at the ranting council member. “A matter that a coward such as yourself wouldn’t engage in lest he break a fingernail.” He rolled his eyes at the gasp of horror and turned his attention back to Rassilon. “It seems that we had a hitchhiker on our Time Stream, Lord President. A Battle ship of Dyrroes out of time by 900 years and carrying stolen technology of the Time Lords was in Gallifreyan airspace preparing for war.”

Anistorodrall took a long stride backward in fright, twisting his trunk as though to seek escape. “Have the War Council been notified of an imminent attack upon Gallifrey?”

Ulysses raised a hand and shook his head. “Notification of the War Council is unnecessary. The matter has been dealt with.”

“How has it been dealt with,” Altamono barked. “We have to notify Council and have them monitor the time wake and ensure that no other undesirable species find their way through the lock.”

“Agreed,” Anistorodrall affirmed with a sharp nod. “Future members of aggressive parties will be all too familiar with our weapons and capabilities and be able to exploit weaknesses we haven’t yet found solutions for.”

“I’m with you,” Altamono muttered blandly. “I’ll notify the Council, myself.”

“My fellow Lords,” Ulysses called warily. He looked slightly pained as he dipped his head and swallowed. “If I were all of you, I would be much less worried about what might _want_ to get through and more concerned about what is already here.”

That piqued Rassilon’s attention. Both of his brows rose high  “What do you mean by that, Ulysseslolruthipirdolungbarrowmas?”

“I mean this _Bad Wolf_ entity that you’re speaking of and seem to want to revere.” His eyes steeled on the curiosity practically glowing from Rassilon. “I just indulged the _pleasure_ of her company and have witnessed first-hand the power that child wields.” He took a step toward the Lord President with grave warning in his voice. “The power of that child is terrifying, and is not something that should be set free upon the universe.”

“Tell me,” Rassilon breathed desperately. “Tell me what you saw.”

“Time bows in her presence,” he began worriedly. “It bends in reverence as it bows to her command.”

“Magnificent,” Rassilon purred.

“I watched her command three Time Capsules, Rassilon. She commanded them to fly – without pilots – and they obeyed without question.” He swallowed hard and inhaled a deep breath to continue. “The feat she asked those Capsule to perform I have never witnessed before. One dematerialized in search of my wife, the other two formed a time barrier around an entire Dyrroen Battleship – to shield it from detection by the War Council and to protect Gallifrey from any attacks.”

Altamono rolled his eyes. “Mere parlour tricks.” He waved his hand. “Any one of our Capsule technicians can modify one of their capsules to fly without a pilot.”

“Yes, Lord Altamono,” Ulysses replied respectfully. “But by remote control. This was a temporary telepathic symbiotic bond that she forged with all three crafts, who all answered her telepathic requests.” He looked back to Rassilon. “She talked two Capsules into joining her on a suicide mission to send an unstable dying capsule into a sun. Two capsules, mind, that are symbiotically linked to their own Time Lords. They don’t do that. A capsule will _never_ abandon her Time Lord – no matter what the circumstance.”

“Interesting,” Lovolruvalliplagnornelanlorir mused with a rub at his chin. “Telepathic control of Capsules means that…”

“It wasn’t _control,_ ” Ulysses clarified. “The capsules _wanted_ to assist. They acted on her orders of their own free will, not because of a telepathic hold on them.” His eyes flicked back to Rassilon. His voice lowered to barely above a whisper. “She destroyed that entire craft and everyone on board with just a thought.” His breath quickened. “She brought a dead woman back to life.” He held up his hand and looked at it as though in shock. “Weapons. They just disintegrated into dust right in front of my eyes.”

“I think you may have indulged yourself in a glass too many,” Altamono challenged facetiously. “What you’re describing is impossible. Surely you imagined it.”

Ulysses ignored the accusation made by Altamono and took a stride toward Rassilon. “This child, Lord President. She cannot be allowed to leave Gallifrey. It terrifies me to think of what horrors could be brought upon the universe if she happens to fall under the influence of a lesser and more violent species than the Time Lords.”

Rassilon held a smile and slowly blinked his eyes as he inhaled and considered the words of Ulysses. When he opened them again, his eyes danced with amusement. “Do you suggest that your son isn’t up to the task of containing and protecting the Wolf?”

Ulysses’ face fell. “So you _know_.”

Rassilon laughed as he rolled his eyes to the ceiling. “Of course I _know_ ,” he barked back sharply. “I am Rassilon – the Lord President and all-knowing Grand Master of the Time Lords. I authored the legends of the Wolf and the Storm after receiving visions and prophesies from my soothsayer.”

“And you suggest that my son is the _Storm_.”

“So named by the Dalek’s, in fact,” Rassilon answered with a lazy grin. “Their abject fear of your son and his victories against them brought about his legend and spread it across the entire universe.”

Ulysses grunted. “Don’t be so daft. If you’d met my son, then you’d disbelieve those tales in an instant. For all the love I have for that boy, I see more fear than fearlessness. He will not become a battle warrior. I question his worthiness as a Time Lord at times.”

“But fear is what makes a great man, Ulysses,” Rassilon lectured with a smile. “As it is that no man who has never lost can ever truly win, nor can a man who has never felt fear ever be truly fearless.” He took a stride toward Ulysses. “Tell me. Have you ever felt fear? Do you still feel it? Can you feel it even now?”

“Yes,” Ulysses breathed quietly under the glare of Rassilon. “Every day.”

“Fear for the safety of your family, and of the Timelines that beckon your precious sons?”

“Yes.”

“And does that make you a weaker man, Ulysseslolruthipirdolungbarrowmas?”

“No,” he growled. “It strengthens me.”

“Then assume the same of your Son,” Rassilon offered. “Theta Sigma will become a Time Lord of such influence that he may challenge even my own legends.” He shot a glare toward Anistorodrall who offered a derisive snort at the idea. “Our Matricians are rarely mistaken, Anistorodrall, and you would serve yourself well to remember that. The genetic template provided by Quencessetianobayolocaturgrathadadeyyilungbarrowmas on the day of the looming of the young Lord left no doubt in the minds of our Matricians that he was destined for greatness…”

“He was destined to be the destroyer of Gallifrey,” Ulysses admitted gravely. “So sayeth the seer.”

“Or,” Rassilon added. “Her _saviour_. Don’t omit one half of the prophesy in favour of dramatics, Ulysses.” He smiled. “I have seen young Theta as President Elect. Worry not about his future – he finds his path.”

“He’s far too reckless to be President,” Ulysses grumbled to himself.

Rassilon laughed at his mumble. “Which is precisely what makes all of this so exciting.”

There was a grunt from the other side of the table. “Can we please get back to the topic of the Wolf; and let me state for the record that I do not accept that an Earth child could possibly become the entity described to us by Ulysseslolruthipirdolungbarrowmas.”

“You’d believe it if you saw it for yourself, Altamono,” Ulysses snapped. “That child is far to dangerous and I insist that she be held here on Gallifrey where she can be continually monitored and tutored to control her power.” He looked back to Rassilon. “The only thing more terrifying than the wolf, Lord President, is the wolf who has no control of the power that she wields.”

Anistordrall moaned rather loudly. “Oh, well isn’t that just something brilliant. Gallifrey’s _savior_ , an Earth Girl granted the power of Time with no sense of how to control it.” He rolled his eyes with obvious disgust. “Gallifrey’s savior should be a child born of Gallifrey – not a being of lesser consciousness and not one from a level five planet. We should be embarrassed to admit to such a thing.”

Lovolruvalliplagnornelanlorir shook his head. “While my thoughts on a child of Sol III becoming the light to save Gallifrey, I can’t discount Ulysses.” He looked across to the Doctor’s father. “I _felt_ her presence. The moment that she stepped into my lecture hall, the timelines immediately shifted and held as though awaiting her every move to fall back into line. Is that what you felt?”

Ulysses offered a wry smile. “I wanted to fall to my knees and revere her for all eternity,” he said with a shrug. “The way that time bends around her in worship … it’s magnificent.” He cleared his throat against his fist. “But. She’s pair bonded with my son, so there’ll be none of that, then.”

“That _would_ be rather scandalous,” Rassilon teased with a chuckle.

Altamono slapped his palms into the table and pushed himself to a harsh stand. "This discussion is heading toward nowhere." He looked to the Lord who was so far from his own time. "Rassilon, while it is always a pleasure to have you honour us with your presence here at Cadon, it is unnecessary. The presence of the reputed Wolf and her Storm won’t affect the day to day operations at the Academy." He held up a warning finger. "Until I am granted audience with the Council to share my views on this situation I will warn that should Roe and River of Lungbarrow step out of line, it will be understood that they be treated with the same disciplinary measures as would be afforded to all cadets. Up to, and including, expulsion."

"That is understood," Rassilon muttered. "And it should be understood by you that I intend not to leave Cadon until their time here is complete. I will insist on observing and assisting wherever any unacceptable forces may exist to threaten their path." He drew himself to a stand. "Now.” He smiled. “Where can I find my wolf and her friend River of Lungbarrow?"

Altamoro inhaled a ragged breath and curled a lip. "The _Wolf_ and the _TARDIS,_ " he snarked sarcastically, "are expected in a weaponry session in the eastern Dojo." He offered a tilt of his head. "One of my teaching assistants is conducting this session. Perhaps we can stand as observers and assess the capability of the one you believe will rescue our planet from total destruction."

Rassilon took the challenge with a deep grin. "I accept your offer, Altamono. If it is that you wish to test her capability…" he paused slightly. "Then I will willingly engage her in competition…"

"You wish to challenge the Wolf," Lovolruvalliplagnornelanlorir spat in disbelief.

Altamono let a lazy grin spread across his cheeks. "Provided you fight as the Hero Time Lord, and not give grace."

"I am incapable of giving grace," Rassilon growled with a smile. "Mercy is given to the weak. I will prove that the Wolf is strong."

Ulysses blew out a puff of breath as he took up position beside Rassilon. “I would advise against engaging against her, Lord President. It wouldn’t do Gallifrey any good to see the figurehead of our entire race disintegrated into dust by a tiny little blonde woman from Earth.”

“I know what I’m doing,” he vowed. “Trust me, Ulysses.”

“In order to prove her worth, she will have to defeat you,” Ulysses warned. “Altamono, Lovol, and Anistordrall – as well as the entire council won’t accept her if she doesn’t.”

"I know."

"Again, I express my concerns about this.  She is not a toy for you to parade across Gallifrey."  He frowned.  "She is a weapon that must be contained, not unleashed."

Rassilon paused. “You’ve seen her, Ulysses.”

“I have.”

“Can she save Gallifrey?”

Ulysses snorted and lowered his head. “My Lord President, yes.  She has already.”

“Then I will be happy to fall at her hand.”


	54. Combat Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that the fun with the Dyrroes is over it's time to go back to school....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you all think I'd abandoned this one? Nahhhh ... not with another 20 or thirty chapters of it already written and waiting. I just had a heck of a lot of editing to do on this chapter to make it fit against the new chapters I added in there.
> 
> I certainly hope that you like this offering.
> 
> Part 1 of "Is Rose gonna kick Rassilon's butt?" hahhahahaha .... Seriously. I love Rassilon. I do. I loved the legend of Rassilon... I don't like what was eventually done to him, and I certainly am pretty pissed off that Moffatt had the Doctor exile him from Gallifrey like he did ... like, really? In fact I hated just about every part of Hell Bent - what an absolute waste of the return of Gallifrey! My favourite episodes have always been when the Doctor goes home to Gallifrey ... Not anymore....
> 
> I hope. I really hope. That good old Rassilon ends up becoming the amazing warrior that he once was and .... oh .... the stories that we can come up with.

There were three beaming and excited smiles that skidded into the doorway of the Cadon equivalent of a high school gymnasium. With only thirteen seconds to spare until they would be considered tardy, the trio of River Song, Rose and Theta Sigma dumped their books and bags at the door and jogged to a vacant spot on the floor beside a long training mat.

Rose’s hand was firmly clutched around Theta Sigma’s much smaller hand, and with a light flick of her wrist, she released her hold so as not to pull him down when she dropped onto her ass beside River Song.  Immediately, she wriggled slightly closer to the older woman and leaned in to chuckle and gossip like a pair of adolescent girls.

Theta Sigma stood quietly to their rear.  His eyes were locked on his hand, now bereft of Rose’s touch and he let out a shuddering breath.  He allowed his small hand to close into a loose fist and battled down the emptiness inside his chest that her absence made him feel.  He swallowed as he let his eyes wander to the bobbing blonde head of hair as she leaned in to River for friendly chatter, but he didn't sit. Instead he slowly drew himself away with the intention to sit by himself along the outer edge of the group where the younger cadets were seated.  A tug on the knee of his trousers stopped him from walking away.  He looked toward River Song with his brows arched high on his head.  “River?”

"And where do you think you're going," she playfully hollered at him from around Rose.

Theta paused and turned with a puzzled look on his face as he pointed to the edge of the group. "I'm going to take my seat."

River arched a brow.  “Is there a seating protocol in place here that’s preventing you from fulfilling your task of protecting your two wives?”

Hi eyes blasted wide.  “Well.  No.  I don’t believe so.”

"Oh," Rose coughed. She put her hand against her heart as though hurting. "So you just want to leave us here, alone, at the mercy of the other cadets.”

“Speaking of,” River offered conspiratorially.  “A quintet of dark and broody and slightly handsome cadets have obtained missile lock.” She smiled and wiggled her fingers at them in a girlish _hello_.

Theta’s eyes snatched quickly toward them.  “What?”

Rose let out a sigh.  “And our chivalrous Lord is going to leave us at their leerish mercy.  Leave us without so much as a good bye?"

“What would your older selves say?”  River dramatically pressed the back of her hand against her forehead. "But, oh.  My hearts. My breaking hearts."

He leaned slightly forward, embarrassed at the scene and of the eyes looking quizzically at him. "Politeness suggests that I do have to sit over here." He pointed to the younger group.

“But it isn’t mandatory,” River queried with a sigh.

“Well.  No.”

"Suit yourself then," Rose said with a nonchalant shrug as she scuffled slightly away from River and petted the space in between them. "But if you change your mind…"

There was a heckle from the back of the group. "Oh how sweet. Wormhole has a girlfriend."

Rose twisted to shoot back a look of annoyance. "Yeah. Two of them actually. He's already breaking hearts at Nine. You've probably never been laid – and how old are you?"

Arkhew curled a lip and made a show of having to be held down by another cadet.  "Never been  _what_?"

“Laid,” River repeated for Rose with a roll in her eyes and a dismissive wave of her hand.  “Never, ever, ever.”

She paused for just a moment in anticipation of a snarked  _Time Lords don't get laid_  comment from one of the boys. Nothing came through the comm-link, which made her slouch in disappointment.

"Fine.  Then I'll say it," River groused. She adopted the masculine manner that was a perfect mix of both Doctors. "Time Lords don't get  _laid,_ _River_. We’re above such primitive behaviours.  Well.”  She chuckled.  “Except maybe _yours_."

There wasn’t even a scornful snort down the line.

"Uh, Doctors?" Rose queried with a tap of her finger against her ear. "Still with us?" At the continued silence, Rose quickly twisted to face River. She cupped the older women's cheeks and focused on the camera in the glasses as she crossed her eyes, rolled her tongue and generally pulled a face to get some kind of reaction from Lungbarrow.

River merely cocked a brow at Rose's face being way-too-close to hers to maintain clear vision. With a lengthened expression and rapid blinking of her eyes she cleared her sight and jerked back just slightly. "You are very much currently at risk of making every cadet in here believe that we're both certifiably insane."

Rose blinked and lengthened out her pulled face, but didn't relinquish hold of River's cheeks. "But we are, aren't we?"

"It's before council right now, I believe."

_"Council's come back._ _”_ Finally, a response filtered in from Lungbarrow.  _“You're both completely nuts. No. More than that. You're way up there completely totally brilliantly insane."_

Rose pursed her lips to hide a smile as the professor stepped into the room. "Amy, my glorious redhead. The boys have you on watch right now?"

“ _Yeah.  They got a bit of a talking to from their mother when they got back here to Lungbarrow.   When I dared laugh at their expense, they pouted, mumbled what I reckon were some pretty good Gallifreyan insults and stormed _off like a pair of petulant five year olds into their respective TARDIS', TARDI, TARDISES … Just what is the plural of TARDIS?"__  Her shrug was actually audible over the comms. 

“Oh,” Rose managed to pepper out in five syllables.  “Never mind that they’ve got us out here in an apparently dangerous situation.”

“ _I did mention that when pinstripes took off,_ ” Amy offered with amusement.  “ _All I got in response was an excuse_ _of having to get a bleeping something or other so that he can sonic or something or yeah."_

River looked to Rose with a roll of her eyes. "The attention span of a gnat, that one."

"Well," Rose began. "You can tell ‘im that if he ever expects to get…"

_"_ Don't say it _,"_ River begged. "Just don't."

"Say what?"

"If he ever expects to get  _laid_  again."

Rose snorted. "Not  _exactly_  what I was going to say, but yeah. You can tell him that if you want, Amy." She looked at River with amusement. "I was  _actually_  going to suggest that if he ever expected to learn anything today that he needs to get his skinny butt back to the monitor."

"Yeah,” River drawled.  “I’m calling bullshit on that."

_Amy chuckled._ _"Message relayed, Rose.  I called it into his TARDIS. No answer. Guess he's not as into it as I pegged him for. You'd think, with all that energy…"_

"Okay. Then fine. Never again. No sugar for the Doctor ever again," Rose threatened with honest annoyance as she removed her earpiece and flicked it like a ball of snot to the other side of the room. "This thing is uncomfortable anyway."

River’s eyes were wide as she watched the earpiece bounce off the wooden flooring.  "Why'd you do that?"

Rose folded her arms across her chest and let out a snort.  "If he's not talking, then I've got no need to listen, do i?"

"Oh, that's not going to go down well," River mused softly. Her eyes shot upward and she hissed for silence. "We'd better listen up, yeah?"

"Yep," Rose said softly. She looked up as a lithe figure plopped himself down in between them. "Oh! Decided to stay, my future love?"

He shrugged. He smiled. He rocked from one side to the other to nudge both women with his shoulders. "You ladies intrigue me like nothing else in this universe," he admitted with an awed sigh. "I'm curious to learn everything about both of you, and I can't do that I am sitting across the room from you."

"So River and I are creatures for you to study, then?"

"You could say that," he said with a small grin tickling at the edge of his mouth. "I want to see what makes you both _tick_."

"That's not terribly romantic of you to admit that, Thete," River mused as she scruffed at his sandy-blonde hair. "But. Such is the way of the Lords of Time, so carry on." She removed her glasses and rubbed at the bridge of her nose. Distractedly, she handed them around the young Time Lord with the intention to give them to Rose to put in her bag.

He took them instead. He pulled them up onto his face and crinkled his nose. "No prescription," he noted curiously.  “Why do you need to wear visual aids if you don’t have a prescription?”

"Fashion statement," River offered with a shrug. "I tend to think that they make me look smarter."

"Intriguing." He kept them balanced on his nose and dropped his chin onto his fist as the professor finally began to speak. "Do they make  _me_  look smart?"

~~oooOOOooo~~

Both Doctors stepped out of their respective TARDIS machines. Each man held a different apparatus, and were solely focused upon that item as they returned to their seats. Eleven's focus was such that he didn't even notice that Amy was in his chair. He plopped down smartly onto her knee.

Amy flicked a brow as she waited for the inevitable peep, uncomfortable rise, stumble and apology. It didn't come. In fact he didn't' even appear to notice.

"Doctor," she muttered with only a slight sharp tone. "You're not exactly feather light you know."

"Which is pertinent right now for what reason, Pond?"

"Oh I don't know," she sang lightly. "Probably because you're sitting on my knee, and you certainly didn't ask for permission from my husband to do that."

His eyes shot wide and he quickly leapt up off her knee amidst awkward apology. It took only a second for a new chair to be trundled along the floor and into position behind him. He quietly thanked the house and sat down.

Amy frowned as she looked with suspicion at the chair. Her head tilted curiously. Her lips pursed. Finally, she had to speak. "You know, Doctor. I don't know if this is very much of a concern for you or anything, given who you are and all. But did you happen to know that your house is haunted?"

"Sentient," he corrected as he briefly let his eyes flick to the monitor ahead of him and then looked back to the item in his hand.

"Sentient," Amy flatly repeated with an  _I really should have guessed that_ purse in her lips. "Yes. Of course it is." She shrugged a little. "I don’t know why I didn’t automatically come to that conclusion.”  She watched a small table trundle to beside Tentoo, when he looked for somewhere to set down his latest acquisition.  “So the whole moving of furniture thing is nothing of concern then?"

"I'd be more concerned if it didn't," he answered blandly. He tapped Tentoo on the shoulder to show him the gizmo, which put them both into an immediate conversation that didn’t involve Amy at all.

That wasn’t going be so swiftly accepted.  Amy licked at her lip. She poked at Eleven's shoulder. She narrowed her eyes to only get a swat in response.

"Oh” she growled.  “So that's how it's going to be," she muttered under her breath as her eyes moved to the monitors. "Just so you know, Rose's Doctor, you're never getting laid again."

"Sorry, Amy?" he answered with his typically friendly softness. “What was that?”

"Oh of course, you'd hear  _that_ ," she snapped. Her expression switched to thoughtful. "Then again, you didn't when I yelled it to the TARDIS."

"All I  _heard_ ," he corrected shortly. "Was you address me as Rose's Doctor. Anything beyond that, unfortunately, I missed. Would you mind repeating for me?"

"Okay," she supplied as she slouched backward in her chair. "While you two were abandoning your posts and flitting away in your blue boxes, the following transmission was received from one Rose Tyler.”  She paused.  “She _is_ still _Tyler_ , yeah?  Like, she didn’t change her name to yours … which might be?”  Her expression was hopeful.

“She’s still Tyler,” Tentoo replied with a smirk and a wink.  He then bopped her on the tip of her nose with the pad of his finger.  “But kudos on your efforts at fishing for information on my name, Amy Pond.”

“You’re not going to tell me, are you?”

Tentoo shook his head.  “Not unless I marry you, Amy.”

“Too late, handsome,” she sang with a trill as she held up her left hand.  “Already taken.”

Tentoo merely laughed in reply.  “So am I, Amy.”  He pursed his lips to blow out a breath and then inhaled through parted lips.  “So what is the message from Rose?”

She hummed with amusement. “Ahh yes.  The message.”  She cleared her throat and pointed to Tentoo, "Get reacquainted with your right hand.  You’re never getting laid again.”  

"What?” He demanded in honest confusion.  “Why?"

“Because in their minds you abandoned them,” she replied with a shrug. 

“We did no such thing,” he answered back sharply.

Amy closed her eyes as she shrugged and smiled.  “Hey.  Just passing the message along."

"Well that’s just juvenile,” he huffed back as he looked to the monitors.  He frowned to see both monitors had images of River Song from different angles.  He flicked his finger between them both.  “What’s going on here?”

“Oh,” Amy chirped loudly.  "About that, yeah.  You should probably know that Rose has discarded her ear piece and River's handed off her glasses to Thete." She pointed at the monitor as his adorable little face and Rose’s appeared on each monitor as the pair looked at each other with laughter at something that River song had uttered.  “How were you _ever_ that adorable, Doctor?”

Tentoo ignored the question.  His focus was on the fact that the communication devices weren’t being used as directed.  "Oh you have  _got_  to be kidding me," he snarled. He rolled on the chair to centre himself between the two monitors. "Why would they go ahead and do that?"

"Because they figured you were ignoring them anyway," Amy offered with a shrug. At his sharp look she stuck a finger into his chest.  "Hey. You guys were gone for a bit. They tried to get you online, but they got no response, so they gave up on you."

"Oh," Ten growled as he trundled his chair to the mic. "They want a response, do they?"

~~oooOOOooo~~

Theta and Rose couldn't help but peer curiously at their blonde companion as they heard the slight snickering coming from River Song.  Their distraction was such that they were no longer able to look ahead to the instruction being led by a spritely looking older Time Lord, and had to wonder just what it was that had her so amused. Whatever it was, her snicker did appear to be strained, which meant that River Song was desperately trying to keep it together.

Rose looked down at her hands and began to count off on her fingertips how long it would take for the snicker to become an all-out laugh. It took to the count of four for a hotly amused cough to shoot out of River's mouth into her fist. She inhaled deeply through her nose and bit again at her lip.

Rose could hear light chatter from the earpiece that River wore, and leaned forward to look past their young charge. "Everything okay back at the house, River?"

"Mmm-hmmm," River hummed on a tone much higher than what she would normally use.

"You sure?"

She laughed quietly through her nose and closed her eyes to try and hold it together.  She released a single laugh through her nose, and inhaled deeply. "And here I was thinking that the TARDIS wasn't going to translate swears for us."

That meant that someone at Lungbarrow wasn’t too pleased…

"Yours or mine," Rose queried with a lick at her lip and a sigh in her words.  She had a feeling she knew the answer to that question.

"Put it this way. The anti on your promise of abstinence has just been upped."

"Ahh yes," Rose breathed in reply. "How very mature of you, my love." She held up her hand as River gasped. "No.  Don’t.  I don't need to hear his response to that."

"He's a very  _passionate_  man, your Doctor, isn't he?"

"Quite," Rose mused softly. She looked down to her hand, where a little set of fingers were walking apprehensively toward hers. Her eyes flicked to Theta. "Need a hand to hold, my little Doctor?"

He grinned a familiar manic grin and nodded quickly as he snatched her hand into his. "Absolutely, yes."

She gave a laugh. "You are too cute. Really."

The Time Lord at the head of the gathering of students, a Lord who looked to be well into his 40's by Earth standards began an in depth monologue about their lecture for the day.  It was a speech that outlined the history and purpose of a fighting style that only one of the two women seated either side of the young Time Lord was in any way familiar with. River practically purred in complete rapture as the professor outlined the weaponry and the techniques taught to all children of this remote planet from the moment they began to walk.

Rose, on the other hand, while mildly interested in the lecture, spent most of her time scanning the room and focusing on all that surrounded her. She couldn't help but notice a gathering of robed Time Lords entering the back of the gymnasium. The Time Lords remained stoic and quiet at the back of the room; just watching proceedings with unmoving and undistracted eyes.

"Who are they?" she whispered to Theta as she peered as covertly as possible over the tops of her glasses. "I can recognize our Quantum Mathematics professor." Her breath hitched. "Oh sweet Jesus, no.  Please tell me that’s not who I think it is."

Theta frowned and looked back over his shoulder.  “Who, Arkytior?” 

“Him,” she answered without actually pointing out the subject of her concern.

Theta let his eyes shift across the line of Lords.  "Don’t fear,” he assured her as he tightened his hold on her hand.  “They're all professors here," he answered softly. “Altamono usually takes this study. Lovol is our Mathematics professor. Anistordrall is language studies.  Of course you know my Dad." He frowned.  “Though I’m not sure why he’s here.”

“Can you think of anything that would explain him being here?” she queried with worry.

He blew out a breath. "I don’t really know.  Maybe he’s here to keep an eye on us all.  You know, because of what happened at lunch.” 

“Maybe.”  She didn’t sound entirely convinced.

Theta indicated the only unidentified Lord.  “Now him.  He must be new. I've never seen him before." He looked back to the front. "Perhaps this is an orientation session for a new professor.”  He grinned widely at the thought.  “Oh, I do hope so.  I will look forward to engaging in studies with him if that is the case. It's always nice to begin study with a new professor."

Rose swallowed hard. "I don't think he's a professor." She pushed the glasses up high on her nose in an attempt to ensure Lungbarrow could see what she was looking at. "Doctor," she warned worriedly. "Is that Rassilon?" 

She belatedly realized that the loss of her earpiece meant that she wouldn’t be able to hear any form of response from Lungbarrow.  The realization made her wince and curse under her breath.

Theta caught her concern and shot a look over his shoulder and then shook his head. "No, Arkytior. It’s not Rassilon.  He’s been long buried inside his tomb," he answered. "And none of his known regenerations looked like that." He looked back at her with a smile. "It looks like you need some Gallifreyan Political Society lessons?" At her attempt at a smile he tilted his head. "I can tutor you if you wish."

"Young Lord," the professor snapped suddenly. "Do you find my instruction uninteresting?"

Theta gasped and shrank in place.  "No, honoured Professor," he answered back quickly as he snapped his hand away from Rose's. No doubt his father was scowling at him from the back of the room.  He shrank further at the thought.  "I apologise for my distraction. I assure you that it won't happen again."

"Would you like to stand at the front of this gathering and show your fellow pupils what you have learned about this technique?"

His eyes shot wide in horror, but before he could respond, River Song desperately raised her hand. "Oh. Let me.  _Please_  let me."

Rose shot a forward lean to look around the young Lord. "River?"

River Song was brilliantly eager. Eager enough that she shot up to a fast stand and walked over the shoulders of two rows of pupils to step up to the front. She dropped her robe carelessly to the floor. "I would love to stand up against a fellow pupil to practice this technique."

The professor was shocked, but intrigued. A single brow rose up his forehead as he regarded her curiously. "You must be our new pupil, River of Lungbarrow."

"That I am," she cooed as she rubbed her hands together. She gave the lightest of bows. "And I humbly request that I be allowed to practice this technique in the presence of my peers."  She practically bounced in place in excitement.

"Very well, than," the professor said with a smile. "I shall put to you your cousin, Arkhew of Lungbarrow.”  He gestured toward the cadet in question with a tilt of his head.  “He is our most diligent study of this technique."

Arkhew rose tall from where he was seated. "Blondie's no cousin of mine," he growled. "But I'm in for it."

River's face stretched in a lazy smile. "Oh yes," she purred as she looked to the sky. "Thank you."

Theta covered his face with his hands. "Oh no. My Rose.  You must think of something to help our River.  Arkhew is very strong in this protocol.  He'll destroy her."

Rose rubbed at his shoulder. "Don't underestimate our River Song," she sang with a giggle. "I’ll lay bets she'll wipe the floor with him!"

~~oooOOOooo~~

Amy's mouth gaped as she watched the show playing on the monitors, and the impending battle between River Song and Arkhew. "Oh," she drawled long. "This is where I could definitely do with some popcorn."

"No popcorn on Gallifrey," Eleven muttered as he leaned an elbow on the table and looked to the monitor with his shoulder at lead. "Which is a shame, really. Popcorn is remarkable stuff."

Amy pointed back toward the TARDIS. "In the pantry. Go fetch."

"Excuse me?"

Her eyes narrowed in disappointment at him. "No?" She let out a breath and then hollered out loudly to her husband. "Rory! Popcorn! STAT!"

Both Ten and Eleven jumped at her voice. Ten's current gadget gizmo project leapt out of his hand and he had to juggle it between hands to stop it clattering to the floor. "That is  _quite_  the shrill tone you have, Amy," he remarked in a high voice.

"Well," she said with a shrug and a smile. "It gets attention, doesn't it?"

"Indeed," he muttered as he pushed his glasses back up his nose. "I think even a deaf man would hear that and react to whatever whim or desire you have if only to not have to hear it again." He slouched lightly and looked upward. "That could be an interesting study, you know. There have been remarkable advancements in the neurological sciences of Delta-72 in the constellation of Karactorus." His eyes dropped. "They've found that deafness in their species, whether it be from the womb or by accident or degeneration of the aural nerves can be reversed if they can find the correct pitch and weight of sound and use it as therapy. Of course, each form of sound therapy is calibrated through a patient by patient assessment, but I think the use of your voice might well have higher successes…"

"I can't actually tell If you're sassing me or not," Amy muttered darkly.  She circled her finger in the air at him. "Insult hidden in Doctor babble, perhaps?"

"Now why would I do such a thing?" he queried with very well feigned innocence.

"Because you're him," she muttered with a thrust of her thumb over her shoulder toward Eleven. "And sneaky raggedy man uses the very same technique you do."

"I do no such thing," Eleven countered with a shake of his head and a roll in his eyes. "You are far too sensitive."

Tentoo was chuckling as he leaned down to take a look at the monitors. "So what is going on then? Are the girls staying out of trouble?"

Amy shrugged. "River is about to get into it with a guy named Arkhew." She pointed at one monitor. "You'll have to watch that one." She pointed to the second one, which just showed the side of Rose's head. "Looks like the little guy is more interested in looking at Rose than watching the fight, so you're not getting anything from that."

Eleven shook his head. "No. Not so much more interested in Rose…"

"Well he is," Ten corrected quickly. "He's been imprinting on her since they sat down. He’s completely captured by her.  Remember?"

Eleven nodded. He let out a sigh. "Yes. I remember that quite vividly, thank you, but we both know that’s not why he’s looking at her."

“Kidding ourselves even when we were nine…”

“Kidding yourself now,” Eleven corrected.

Amy looked between the two men. "Not going to even try to guess what you're on about."

"He's not looking at Rose," Eleven answered swiftly. "He's actually looking away from the fight because he doesn't want to see River get hurt."

"Which she doesn't," Tentoo added quickly. "She kicks his arrogant butt quite brilliantly."

"Oh, doesn't she just," Eleven muttered with a chuckle. "I believe it was the fist to the groin that brought him down to the mat." He laughed and invited his brother to a hi-five. "She had the whole room immediately cover themselves.  Just brilliant."

Both Doctors laughed. Tentoo wiped at his eye. "I can't believe I never for an instant considered that the two  _Goddesses_  that I spent one amazing day at Cadon with were Rose and River."

“How would they feel to know, Doctor,” Eleven breathed with affection.  “To know that we are who we are because of them?”

Amy blinked at that thought.  “What?”

“Because of today,” Tentoo answered with a flick of his eyes to the monitor.  “Because of _them_ , I vowed to one day go out and find my adventures.  To become _me_ , who I am right now.”  He frowned.  “Well.  Not exactly who I am now.  I didn’t intend on a Biological Meta Crisis to split me in two.  But.  Moving on…”

"So we blame  _those_  two for  _you_  two." She rolled her eyes with mock disgust. "I'll be sure to have words with the both of them when this is over." She looked at the screen and gasped, covering her mouth with both hands when she saw River Song drop Arkhew to the mat. "Oh my God."

Ten leaned down to her ear. "Told you River Song destroyed him."

"Oh, even  _I_  felt that," she moaned as she covered her crotch and crossed her legs. "Low down and dirty."

"But within the known tactics of the Feruvian warrior's technique," Ten said with a shrug. "They played dirty. It worked for them."

"Still, there has to be some line that you don't cross. Going for the snag and spuds is pretty low. I will have to talk to River about that." Amy still squirmed. "Does Arkhew ever walk again?"

"Yes he does, Amy." Eleven slumped. "Unfortunately."

~~oooOOOooo~~

River song loved nothing more than an adoring audience. Correction, she loved nothing more than outright victory. especially when it was victory over one she considered high on the douchebag evolutionary scale. She held her fists high in victory as Arkhew writhed painfully across the mat.

To the front of her, Rose cheered. It was a sound much like a soccer fan celebrating the winning goal for her team, with whoops and hollers and much fist pumping the air. "That'll teach you not to mess with the women of your house,  _Arkhew of Lungbarrow_. Because we will _destroy_ you!" She jumped to her feet as River returned so that she could to a high-ten with her.

The professor clicked in disapproval. "Arkytior of Lungbarrow. Your conduct is very unbecoming of a Time Lady. Cease and desist that kind of behavior, immediately."

She was amused but waved an apologetic hand at the professor. "My bad. Sorry. It's just that my cousin was simply so beautiful to watch that I had to express my admiration." She bowed her head lightly. "It won't happen again, honoured professor."

"I should hope not."

He addressed the gathering once more, remarking on the accuracy of River's attacks and defense, and of the different strategies that would be employed dependent upon who was your aggressor.

Rose still held humour as she leaned into river and held out her hand in a request for a low-five. "Sensational effort," she swooned. "Just beautiful."

"Amy didn't think so," she replied with a snort as she took the glasses form the young boy and slid them up onto her nose. "Looks like my mother intends on having a discussion with me regarding my going at the _snag and spuds_."

"It was a very appropriate attack," Rose assured. "A douche attack for a douche bag."

"Didn't matter where I hit him, then, did it?" River's amusement faded somewhat. She gestured with a jut of her chin toward the back of the room.  "Have you seen the cronies back there?"

Rose nodded. "Yeah."

Both girls twisted to look over their shoulders at them. They weren't surprised at all to see that they had the rapt attention of at least one of the men in the group.

"Do you know who they are, by chance," River asked.

"Professors," Rose offered. "All of them, except him."  She kept her eyes on the unidentified Lord.

River Song frowned and snaked her head to look at the line of men, unable to pick which one Rose was indicating.  "Except who?"

A pair of gasps and voices that answered worriedly from Lungbarrow answered the question.  _"Rassilon."_

River touched at her ear piece. "Rose. The Doctor says it's Rassilon."

"That's what I thought," Rose muttered as she let her eyes lock onto the gaze of the Grand Master. "Theta doesn’t think so."

" _That's because he's out of his time_ ," Eleven offered down the line.  _"That's Lord Rassilon, River. By the Gods.  Please tell Rose that I'm sorry."_

"Sorry for  _what, Sweetie_?" She asked with worry.

_"Sorry about what's coming."_

"What do you mean," she asked with horrific worry in her tone. "What's coming, Doctor?"

Tentoo's voice was weak down the line.  _"Tell her that I love her, River.  God, make sure she knows I love her."_

_"That_ **we** _love her,"_ Eleven added.  _"The both of us."_

"Why, Doctor?" River began to panic. "Why?  Tell me."

_"The sound of the TARDIS, River. The wheezing whine of her rotors. Tell Rose to listen for them, and to focus her calm on that beautiful sound, because the TARDIS will come._ **_I_ ** _will come. I promise."_

"You're beginning to scare me." Her eyes widened as she looked upward and to the front of the gym, where a pair of Lords had moved.

The entire gymnasium was in a hush as Rassilon let his robe fall to the mat, the crest on his chest leaving no doubt as to his identity. He stepped forward, the Time Lord President, and extended his hand with a downward facing palm into the crowd. "Rose Tyler," he smoothed along a dark breath. "Step forward, child."

She shook her head and shuffled lightly backward. "Uhm."

At the sound of a displeased snort to his side from Altamono, Rassilon's voice became dark, urgent, full of demand. "You will rise, child." He turned his palm upward in invitation, and raised his chin high. "Come to me, Gallifrey's Wolf."

"No," she whimpered fearfully. "Oh no.  Not again."

 


	55. Defeat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rassilon challenges Rose to a sparring session ...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh dear me did that take some editing before I could put this up ... I made too many changes with the new chapters....
> 
> Oh, well ... this should work.

Amy let a shudder of panic curse through her at the words being spoken by both Doctors. She knew for a damn fact that her Doctor never uttered such pleasantries such as  _I love you_  to anyone. Rose's Doctor, on the other hand? Well, it was clear he was absolutely besotted by Rose, but she hadn't actually heard him say it out loud. It was her assumption that the lanky energetic ball of Time Lord Fire preferred to physically illustrate his devotion to her instead of speak it.

And so, hearing both of the Doctors utter those words with an urgent plea that the subject of their affection  _knows_  of their affection. Well. That was an ominous sign that everything was quite likely about to turn to shit.

…With River Song and Rose right in the thick of it.

She turned sharply to both Doctors. She folded her arms tightly across her chest. Her jaw set just slightly off centre, and her glare was dark. She didn't need to say anything at all.

Ten caught Amy's look over the tops of his glasses and let his brows rise high and apologetically as he brought his hand down onto Eleven's shoulder. "I'm leaving explanations to you, Doctor. I've got to go through some pre-flight checklists on the old girl… Make sure I get to Cadon on time instead of 900 years in the future, you know." He swirled his hand in the air. "Yep. I think I should set some coordinates and make sure my girl's ready for flight."

Eleven let a frown of mild confusion pass across his eyes as he swept his attention from the monitor, past Amy, and toward Tentoo. His eyes didn't make the full swing toward his brother. Instead they got caught in the tractor beam of Amy's glare. He shrank ever so slightly.

"Don't look at me like that, Pond."

False bravado. She was amused that he made the effort, but she knew that he knew that she saw right through it. "That's my daughter."

He kept his head low and focused through his bangs onto the monitor. "Indeed."

"And.  _What?_  You're going to just sit here as her and Rose get caught up in something ugly?"

"Fixed point," he defended sharply. "Can't interfere."

"That's bullshit," she snapped back in challenge. She pointed toward the monitor. "One of you boys had better get in there and get them out."

"Or what?" he challenged sharply.

She leaned in with a sneer. "Or I'll go get them myself."

The Doctor rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Travel by foot will take a couple of your Earth hours." He looked to the screen for a short moment. "This comes to a rather spectacular head in about ten minutes."

"I'll take a TARDIS, then." She held up a finger and let her eyes flare in warning. "And, oh, don’t think that I don’t know how to take over a TARDIS," she threatened. "You just need to give me a crowbar, apparently."

He slammed both hands down hard on the table and threw himself to a stand. He raised a finger to point into her unflinching face. "That isn't something to make light about," he growled. "That stunt killed her, and it killed me. It was a non-survivable event." He pointed back to the TARDIS. "And it is the very reason that they are in this situation to begin with."

She gasped. "What?"

"Just trust us." He flicked his head to the TARDIS belonging to the Doctor and Rose. "He's just getting set up. He'll go grab them when it's time." He inhaled hard and passed an apologetic, pained, and honest look to Amy. "River will be fine. Rassilon's not there for her."

"And Rose?"

He closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath. "What happens has to happen."

Tentoo exited his TARDIS at that moment. "Right-oh. The old girl's set to go in." He walked, straightening his tie and fixing the tuck of his shirt into his trousers as he leaned down to look at the monitors and the scene inside the Academy walls. "Please tell me that I’ll still be a married man after this," he queried painfully.

"Take as much of it off her as you can, Doctor," Eleven suggested evenly. "Fire up that bond of yours and put it to actual use."

"You say that like it's so easy to do."

"Well it  _should_  be," Eleven admonished with a light curl in his lip. "That's the point of pair bonding, isn't it?"

"I haven't taught her how to use it," Ten snapped in return. "We haven't exactly had time." He ruffled his own hair. "If I go nudging at her right now demanding entrance to her mind, Rose'll flip out. You know  _exactly_  how she feels about anyone poking around in there without permission."

"If you don't, then I will." At Ten's rather effective glare  _a 'la Oncoming Storm_ , Eleven curled a lip and returned a glare of his own. He tapped at his temple as his lips twisted into a dark smile. "I imprinted on her at the age of Nine, Brother. I am fully able to get in there if I want to. And don't you think for an instant that I won't."

"You stay away from  _my wife_ ," Ten threatened with a growl. "You don't have the right to try to get into her head. You relinquished that right when you abandoned her on a cold Norway beach."

"That's low even for you."

"If it's gonna go so bad," Amy growled in interruption. "Then stop ya squibblin and go and get them."

"We can't," Tentoo seethed through a growl. "Don't you think that if I could I would?"

"Don't throw your pissy attitude on me, Doctor," she snapped back. She then pointed to the monitor, where the beginning of something rather ugly was taking place. "Give me one damn good reason why this  _has to happen_ ; why you can't go and get them."

There was a brief silence from the two brothers. They shared a look and turned their heads in opposite directions. Ten rubbed at his brows with a downcast head. Eleven was the one to answer.

"This has to happen so I can see what she looks like," he said softly; all anger gone from his tone.  “So I know not to be scared.”

"Excuse me?"

"I need to see her like this," he answered. "So when she comes to me I'll listen to her."

"And I'll trust her," Ten added. His voice took on a desperate tone as his eyes raised high. "By Rassilon will I trust her."

Amy looked horridly confused. "I don't get it."

"In my absolute darkest hour," Ten said on a strangled breath. "The Bad Wolf will show me the light."

"And she'll save me," Eleven added. "She'll save everyone."

~~oooOOOooo~~

_Rassilon's voice became dark, urgent, full of demand. "You will rise, child." He turned his palm upward in invitation, and raised his chin high. "Come to me, Gallifrey's Wolf."_

_"No," she whimpered. "Not again."_

His fingers splayed to a taut stretch. "There's no need to fear me."

"Oh, I doubt that," she said in a whimper. She raised a questioning finger to him before she moved to rise out of her seat. "But with all due respect to you, uh,  _Sir_ , might I please convene with my companions first before I take your hand?"

"Of course," he answered without pulling back his hand. "But don't take too long. I am not exactly known for my patience."

Rose nodded and held up three fingers. "Three minutes, that's all. Just three." She immediately turned to River and the young Doctor. "Anything from Lungbarrow?"

"He loves you," River said quickly.

"I love him too," Rose said with a smile.

"Both of them," River corrected quickly. "I got that message from the both of them."

Rose frowned. " _He_ _actually_  said it?  _Your_  Doctor. He actually said  _those three words_?"

"Yes," her voice was just slightly choked.

Rose closed her eyes with a frown. "Then I'm screwed. I'm totally, and utterly screwed. If  _he_  said it, then I'm completely done for."

"He says to listen for the TARDIS," River said quickly. "Listen for her, stay calm and he'll come for you."

Rose rubbed her hand down her face. She looked back to River with terror in her eyes.  “He wants to see her, River.”  She shook her head.  “And I can’t.  I just.  I can’t.”

“Can’t, what?” River asked softly.  She shifted her head like a cobra sizing up its meal as she analyzed the sheer terror in Rose’s eyes.  “What’s wrong?”

"I can’t do it again, River.  I don’t want to do it again."

River Song nodded slowly.  Her lips pursed.  “Even if it means old Rassilon here will…”

“Oh,” Rose interrupted sharply.  “You think he’s just gonna let it go?  He’s a Time Lord, and my experience with them is that they want this power as their own.”  She exhaled a shaking breath.  “If he sees the power … River … Who knows what he’ll do to get it.”

Theta leaned forward to look up at them both.  “Lord Rassilon is a hero and legend of the Time Lords.  He is a true and honest Lord.  You can trust him.”

Rose dropped her gaze and smiled weakly as she pressed her hand atop his head.  “Oh, my sweet Thete.  I wish I could believe that.  I really do.”

“Do you trust _me_?” he asked vehemently.  “My Arkytior.  Do you trust me.  All of me?”

“With my _life_ ,” she vowed fiercely.  “With my soul.”

He drew himself to a stand and lifted his hand high to touch at her face.  “Then trust _me_ – any one of me – to keep you safe.”  His little voice softened.  “I won’t ever let you down.”

“Oh Thete,” she breathed in reply.  “You’re absolutely adorable, but I can’t let _this_ you put himself in harm’s way.”

His face split into a grin.  “You’re my wife.  My beloved.  It’s my duty and my honour.”

Rose dropped into a crouch and looked up into his blue eyes.  She swept his fringe from his brow.  “And it’s _my_ duty and honour to protect you as well.”  She rose just slightly to press a kiss against his forehead.  “Which means insisting that you let me do this alone, okay?”

He bit at his lips to close them tightly together and shook his head.

“I need you to grow up,” she affirmed softly.  “Grow up to become my entire universe.”

He nodded.  “I can do that.”

She smiled and focused on his face, knowing that the two boys back at Lungbarrow could see and hear her. "Just remember that my hearts beat for you.  My _Doctors._ " With a smile as she refocused her gaze to Theta’s face, Rose removed the chain holding her TARDIS key from around her neck and looped it over his. "Look after this, Thete. Protect it for me."

He looked down with a puzzled expression as he danged his fingertips over it.  "What is it?" he queried with a high brow as he looked over the insignificant looking key.

She gave him a wink. "The key to my heart."

He beamed and clutched it to his chest. "Then I shall keep it safe for all eternity, my Arkytior."

With a steadying breath, Rose drew herself to a stand and turned on the ball of her right foot to face Rassilon, who still had his hand held to her in invitation. “Okay,” she said softly.  “I’m ready.”

“Then come to me, child,” Rassilon said with a silken tone.  “Let me see you for all you are.”

With a bowed head, she took his hand and used it to steady herself as she walked through the two rows of pupils ahead of her. She noticed, immediately, the coldness of his fingers, the callouses, the slightly longer fingernails, and the terrifically firm grip. It was so different to the hold of the Doctor's hand.  It was so … alien.

Her hand shook as Rassilon led her to the training mat and brought her hand to his lips to drop a gentle kiss upon her knuckle.

"My, but you are beautiful," he crooned with only a rise of his eyes to hers as his lips stayed upon her knuckle. "I can see why he is so enamoured by you."

She cleared her throat with discomfort. "I'm flattered," she admitted softly. "Now. May I have my hand back?"

"Of course," he said with a friendly smile as he opened his fingers to let her hand fall to her side.

She licked at her lip in a show of discomfort as she let her eyes drift down to River and the young man who would become her husband. After River offered her a wink in support, Rose let her eyes graze back to Rassilon. "To what to I owe the pleasure of your attention today, Sir?"

He set his hands behind his back, lacing his fingers together as he slowly circled her. "I merely wanted to see you for myself," he said quietly in a voice laced by admiration. “I have written legends about the Wolf and Storm,” he said in a voice of announcement.  “Legends and tales of love and honour.”  He paused to look at her.  “Of Gallifrey’s salvation.”

Rose swallowed thickly.  “With all due respect, Sir.  What does that have to do with me?”  She watched his head tilt slightly at her question.  “I am just a girl.  A plain and very uninteresting child.”

“Oh, my precious child.”  He let out a smooth chuckle and then inhaled as he passed by her back.  "There is nothing ordinary about you. “  He inhaled again and let out a breathy purr.  “You smell of Time."

Her eyes tracked his movements as he continued to circle around her. "Is that your polite way of telling me that I need to take a shower?"

"The essence of Time is a most wonderous and intoxicating aroma."

His movements paused, which had her looking down her shoulder at him. "Then perhaps I should bottle it up and sell it in market."

He chuckled on a low breath. "Tell me, Rose of Lungbarrow.  Do you fear me?"

"Not really," she lied with as much false bravado as she could muster. "Should I?"

"I am _Rassilon_ ," he stated quite simply.

"Yes. I'm aware of who you are, of your reputation." She tilted her head and tried to hide her nervous swallow. "But I'm not entirely sure of why you've just pulled me up in front of an entire study class to examine me. You could have easily called me aside to discuss your query in private."

He lifted his hand to curl a lock of her blonde hair around his finger.  "You sense that I'm up to something."

"From what I know of Time Lords," She answered as she battled every instinct inside her to slap his hand away from her.  She took a polite step backward and turned her head enough that her hair fell short of his touch. "Specifically those of the Prydonian houses. Is that you're _always_  up to  _something_."

He flicked a brow high and gave her a slightly filthy smile.  “Are we now?”

She nodded.  Her voice flew out of her along a breath.  “Always.”

He nodded and straightened up to a tall stand. "Indeed we are." He snapped his fingers to the instructor. "And now that we have endured enough niceties, let me announce to all present that I am here: Rassilon – Grand Master of the Prydonian Chapter and Lord President of Gallifrey -  to issue challenge to Rose of Lungbarrow, who will henceforth be known to all as the Wolf." He paused for dramatics, smiling at the gasps from around the room. "The Wolf of Gallifrey."

"Please don't," she pleaded inside a whisper.

"Please don't  _what_ ," he queried as he watched her rub at her brows. "Don't issue challenge?"

"Oh," she breathed with absolute assurance. "You can do that. Of course you can.  Challenge me, Lord Rassilon." She waved her hand through the air. "But challenge me as Rose Tyler, not as this supposed Wolf. Honestly, this assertion you all have about this mystical Wolf and her connection to me is wearing me out.  Really it is." She walked backward to the wall of weapons and analyzed just which one she was going to use against a man she knew beyond doubt was going to kick her ass across Kasterborous. She could already see by his firm stance that he was going to be as immoveable as a brick wall, but what other choice did she have but to fight?

Oh, if those boys had advanced knowledge of this event, she was going to do everything she could to defeat Rassilon so that she could go back to Lungbarrow and kick both their asses.

Rassilon watched her at the weapons rack with close scrutiny.  He could feel her apprehension and fear radiating off her in waves.  There was no doubt in his mind that she’d be unable to wield any one of the weapons on display.  His intention wasn’t for her to fail in such a spectacular manner, so he lifted his head and spoke loudly.  "I was thinking that we spar. No weapons."

Rose was impressed that she was able to hold her shoulders high even though they were somewhat desperate to slump. She turned her head to look over her shoulder at him. "Oh-kay.  If that’s what you want.  I’ll play."

He smiled at her attempt at nonchalance.  "Come, child. Come to your Lord Rassilon and show all those who doubt the power of our Wolf."

"Please stop calling me that," she moaned with a definite slouch in her shoulders as she strode toward him. "You’re wrong.  I'm no Wolf. I'm just Rose."  Her tired eyes implored him as she approached.  “Just plain, ordinary, boring Rose.”

Rose briefly caught that she was being chided by another of the Time Lords for her lack of respect toward Rassilon, but the actual words were unheard as she felt a nudging sensation in her mind. It was an incessant urging for connection that refused to abate, even as she shook it off and tried to ignore it as she would an unwanted phone call on her iPhone. "Doctor. Not now."

Rassilon seemed to stand in her defense and returned the chiding offered by the other time Lord. Again, the context was missed as she fought against the prodding in her mind. "Oh. Fine, for God's sake," she finally snapped as she let down her guard and allowed the Doctor inside her head. There were no words shared, no shared thoughts or feelings, just sudden clarity. Clarity and the knowledge that she wasn't alone. That gave her the boost of confidence she needed.

The Doctor’s presence in her mind made her grin a dark smile. She winked at the Time Lord standing ahead of her.  "Okay, Rassilon of Prydon. Ready to  _rumble_?"

"Are you ready to release the beast?"

"Isn't that what  _you're_  supposed to do?"

He returned her comment with a booming laugh. His head lowered in a threatening manner. "Bring her forth and set her upon me, Rose Tyler.  Let me fall at her feet."

“How about you fall at mine, instead?”

He thrust his hand toward her with the intent to grab at her shoulder to toss her. He missed his mark and managed only to grunt as she evaded him with a fast spin.

Rose's spin ended with her dropping into a comic-book style crouch, one hand held in front of her with only the pads of her fingers pressing to the ground, her other hand stretched back behind her as she sought balance. In a fast few seconds she analyzed the man in front of her, trying to target any potential weaknesses. Her eyes raked from his feet to his head and back down with such deliberance that he could practically feel it.

A breath shuddered out through his gritted teeth. "Come to me."

Rose launched from her crouch, using the full power inside her thighs to propel quickly toward him. As she neared the looming Time Lord and watched as he braced his upper body for attack, Rose let her body fall onto her elbow and knee to slide by him. As she passed, she drove her elbow into the crook of his knee and grabbed at the mat to stop her slide and pull herself to her feet.

Rassilon grunted as he dropped to his knee. He then growled a thunderous bellow as Rose kicked into his other knee to drive the large Time Lord onto both knees on the training mat. Swiftly, she clutched around his throat with the intent to completely pull him down to the mat.

Unfortunately, Rassilon had far more strength than Rose had anticipated. Although on his knees with a throbbing pain behind his knee, Rassilon snatched Rose's arm and hauled her in a single pull over his shoulder. She let out a sharp cry as her back collided with one of his knees and she tumbled to the mat.

He watched her with disappointment as she writhed for a moment on the mat with her hand pressed against her lower back.

"Is that all she has in her," Altamono snarled with disgust from the edge of the training mat. " _This_ ," he gestured to Rose with a flick of his hand. " _This_  is your precious  _Wolf_?"

Rose panted out her waning back pain and shakily drew herself to her feet. She looked to Altamono with a grimace. "You, too?  What is with you Time Lords and this bloody Wolf thing?" She stalked toward Rassilon and wiped angrily at her brow. "I'm going to tell  _you_  what I told your friend  _Borusa_  four days ago when he tried to invoke the Wolf." She held her fists angrily at her sides. "Not. Gonna. Happen." Her voice lowered to a frustrated growl. "The Doctor took that power from me  _years_  ago. I'm not able to give you what you're looking for."

Rassilon's face morphed to fury and he stalked quickly toward her. " _Borusa?_  You dare mention his name to me.  Where did you meet that traitorous Time Lord?"

She gave a dismissive wave. "Oh. Another parallel. Earth. Playing about with Torchwood property." She roughly swiped at her hair to pull it from her shoulders. "But don't worry about him, he won't be a bother to anyone anymore." Her eyes narrowed. "Torchwood isn't exactly partial to anyone – specifically pushy Time Lords – trying to mess about with their stuff."

Rassilon's hand curled into an angry fist. "I want that Time Lord brought to me."

"He's gone," she snarled.  “Dead.  Scattered throughout Time.”

He raked disapproving eyes up and down her form. "Are you suggesting to me that _y _ou__  defeated a Prydonian master.  You, a simple human child; or was the Doctor responsible for taking away my right to seek my own justice upon that treasonous Lord?"

She stalked around him, once again seeking the best vantage point to attack. "Does it matter who’s responsible?  Isn’t it enough to know what it happened?"

"I will take my piece of whomever was responsible," he growled threateningly. "You, or the  _Doctor_." Rassilon saw the slightest shimmer dance across her eyes at the whisper of a threat against the renegade Time Lord. A smile ticked at the side of his mouth. "Oh. That  _is_ interesting."

"What is?"

Rassilon merely grinned a wide and dark smile; a smile that reached into her very soul. "You hold within you the power of Time," he purred. "But, tell me, Rose Tyler, who is it that has control over you – the one who can bend time to her command?"

"Noone," she breathed darkly. " No one has control over me – except me.”  She then frowned.  “And you – of all people – should know that no one controls time except for time herself." 

He lifted a hand to again stroke his fingers through her hair.  He watched with fascination as the golden strands trickled through his fingers.  “I think you’ll find you’re mistaken on that, my precious child.”

“No.  I’m not.”

He nodded and steeled his eyes onto hers.  “The _Wolf_ controls time, but you cannot control the wolf, can you?”  He licked at his lip. "It’s under the control of a Lord of Time – a very specific Lord of Time." He lunged at her. "I will not allow the renegade child the right to that control."

Rose actually let up a yelp as this man, easily twice her size, launched himself at her. His hands were raised and on target to snap against her temples. She twisted to her side to avoid him, and dropped into crouch as he dropped atop her.

In a self protective reflex, Rose's forearms came up to shield her temples from Rassilon's fingers. "No!" She hollered at him as she dropped to her knee and rolled out from underneath him. She stepped back with her hands over her temples. She held clear anger and warning in her tone. "That's using weapons," she charged him. "That's cheating."

He didn't seem particularly affronted by her accusation of him cheating. Rassilon merely thrust his arm forward to take hold of her wrist. "This is how Time Lords _spar_ , Rose." He punctuated his cool words by yanking on her arm with enough force that she spun in place and then stumbled hard down onto the training mat. She let up a sharp cry as she felt her shoulder give under her impact.

She hoped that the TARDIS was thoughtful enough to not translate English swears into Gallifreyan, because the  _big three_  did explode from her mouth as she clutched at her limp arm and staggered to a stand. "Uncle," she pleaded with obvious effort.

"Excuse me?"

Rose backed up, stumbled to a knee, but then rose top her feet again. Her body was stooped forward in defeat, her injured shoulder held limply in front of her with her hand clutched at her upper arm. "I concede to you, Lord Rassilon."

"No," Rassilon growled thunderously. "You will not."

Her face lengthened in shock at his refusal to accept her defeat. "What?"

Rassilon drove at her again. With little thought of care or tenderness, he snatched his hands hard against her face. He squeezed at her temples as though his hands with both sides of a metal vice. "I will tear down your barriers, Lord _Doctor,_ " he snarled as his search hit wall after wall within her mind. He faced storm clouds ahead of every wall and lightning crashed as he tried to shoulder through each barrier set up to protect her mind. "I will rip you out of her with my bare hands."

Rassilon's hands braced against the side of her face with enough pressure that it threatened to crush her skull.  As painful as it was, it was the only thing that held Rose on her feet as she cried out a single word along a distraught breath.

"Doctor!"

 


	56. The Wolf and Rassilon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rassilon meets Bad Wolf

The Meta-Crisis Doctor stumbled as he battled to stand tall in front of the monitor. His eyes were clenched tightly shut and he graveled out a moan of pure exertion as he desperately tried to maintain his balance with his fingers clutched against the edge of the table.

"I can't fight him," he hissed out hoarsely. "And Rose doesn't know how."

Eleven flicked his attention between the image of Rose crying out for them on the monitor, and to Tentoo, who was clearly struggling himself to battle the will of Rassilon.

"With you and Rose being bonded, he shouldn't even be able to get in there to begin with," Eleven spat.  “Where are the protections you were supposed to put in place to protect your bondmate?”

Ten's eyes flashed open. His ancient brown eyes were filled with firing golden webs of lightning fire. The battle raging within was immediately obvious to both Amy and Eleven. "This is _Rassilon_ ," he growled in reply. "He created the bonding rites. He can do whatever the bloody hell he wants to." He stumbled to one side again. "I'm not strong enough. He's going to force me out of there."

"The Hell he is," Eleven thundered as he shot out of his seat and curled a lip at his brother. "You've lost your choice, Doctor. I'm in whether you want me to or not."

Ten's eyes still shone with lightning fire as his hands shot forward to clutch at Eleven's lapels to haul him toward him. "Then what are you bloody well waiting for? Help us out before he destroys her mind completely."

"He can fight one Doctor," Eleven growled as he slapped both hands hard against either side of Ten's face. "But he hasn't got it in him to handle two of us."

Amy watched in stunned horror as both Doctors stood in a braced stand ahead of each other, both clutching with desperation at each other's faces. Their expressions were pained, their stances strong, but they both looked ready to crumble.

On the monitor ahead of them, Amy watched with quiet dismay as Rose struggled to remain on her feet under Rassilon's grasp. For his part, Rassilon's victorious grin began to falter. A single bead of sweat rolled down his temple as his grin shifted toward a grimace.

Out of the crowd, a small boy rocketed toward them with a dismayed cry. He was quickly thrown aside by a strong backhand from Rassilon.

That single action became the catalyst for a sequence of events that held such horrific intensity, Amy found herself launching out of her chair and backing up against a TARDIS in search of safety.

At theta’s anguished yell and of the image of him being thrown back into the crowd, Rose's cries immediately ceased. Her eyes glowed hot as her body slowly stretched long and high against Rassilon's grasp. She began to shimmer with Gold light that brightened and suddenly exploded from within her to expand throughout the room like a nuclear shockwave that burst through both monitors to strike into the chests of Ten, Eleven and Amy. The two Doctors let out simultaneous thunderous cries as they were propelled apart from each other. They stumbled an undignified gait into the table and against chairs as they sought balance.

Eleven steadied himself against the back of the chair as he pointed a finger toward Tentoo. "Doctor," he ordered as his finger then shot in the direction of the TARDIS. "Go. Now!"

Tentoo didn't need to be told twice. He snatched his blazer from the back of the chair and bolted past both Eleven and Amy and dove inside his TARDIS machine. The doors had barely time to latch closed before the wheeze and whine of the Rotor echoed throughout the Grand Hall of Lungbarrow as the TARDIS dematerialized.

Eleven panted as he fell heavily into a chair and trundled it to in front of the monitor. He slapped his tongue against the dry roof of his mouth and swallowed dryly. "Hang in there Rose. He's on his way."

Amy was still shuddering as she tentatively moved into a seat beside him and looked warily at the monitor, and at the golden woman on the screen who was currently stalking a circle around Rassilon.

"Does your Rassilon have any idea what he’s just called forth, Doctor?”

The Doctor shook his head and wiped at his brow with a handkerchief he'd pulled form his jacket pocket. "If he has any clue at all and went ahead and did it anyway, then he’s more fool than I ever gave him credit for," he said worriedly. "He’s ticked off the Bad Wolf: The single most dangerous creature in the entire universe."

“Heaven help him,” she offered quietly.

~~oooOOOooo~~

Rose was conscious of very little under the Rassilon's onslaught against her will. She knew that the Doctor had set up safe guards, and that he was inside her to double that protection, but she also knew the power of man who was revered as the God of the Time Lords. She knew, mostly through her new consciousness, just how powerful Rassilon was. She prayed that the Doctor had the strength to help her to withhold the power inside her.

Peripherally, she noticed movement from the crowd. Her ears caught the cry of young Theta Sigma in the crowd before she caught his image in her peripheral vision. When her eyes caught up with her ears, and she watched Rassilon strike the young lad and propel him back toward the crowd, something inside her snapped.

Her vision swam inside a golden amber filter, and the twin thunderbolts protecting her mind burst from within her. The collective gasp of all present inhaled the anger within her as it shot out as a shockwave across the Academy and over Mount Cadonwood.

She felt her injured shoulder snap immediately back into place. Any pains within her instantly ceased. In a swift movement she thrust her arms up, and then curled them around Rassilon's arms. She snapped her arms downward to lock his forearms underneath hers, and then propelled her head forward to collide against his nose in a move much better suited to a fight on a soccer field than in the hallowed grounds of Cadon.

Rassilon was driven to his knees before her.  His head was held low and a pained groan shuddered out through his lips.

"Look at me," she demanded as she released his arms and slowly lowered into a crouch in front of the dazed Time Lord. She made the demand again when he didn't immediately raise his face to hers. "You demanded my presence, now I demand your focus," she snarled. "Look at me, Time Lord Master."

With a bloody grin on his face, he raised his face to look into hers. "There you are."

She drew herself to a stand and loomed down over him. She made damn sure that she looked with disgust down along her now repaired shoulder at him. "While I appreciate you bowing at my feet, Rassilon, I demand that you rise to yours. You issued me a challenge. Don’t back away from it _now_."

Rassilon dared purr at the creature looming above him. He wanted to draw himself to full height, but also wanted to remain low and underneath her ethereal glare.  "You. Are. Magnificent."

"And you're an idiot," she purred darkly in reply. "Do you have any idea at all just what you're trying to conjure up here?"

"I wanted to see you for myself," he answered smoothly as he thumbed blood from his nose and finally drew himself to his full height. He then swept his arm past the gathered Time Lord professors. "And I wanted to show you to all of them." His eyes narrowed to Altamono specifically. "Particularly to the ones who do not believe you exist."

Her eyes flicked angrily toward Altamono, but then softened on the face of Ulysses.  She flicked her eyes back to Rassilon to lever a glare of annoyance at him. "I really don't care for their opinion."

“But you _should._ ”

She shook her head and shifted her attention toward the fear and confusion of the students. "They should not bear witness to this," she snarled.  Her eyes fell upon River and Theta and her expression morphed into one of apology. 

"Perhaps they should see it," Rassilon argued firmly as he wiped at a small dribble of blood that had trailed from his nose and over his lip. "Allow them to see Time in all her resplendent glory."

"No," she breathed as she straightened and held her head tilted backward. With a very slow blink in her glimmering amber eyes,  she rounded both arms over her head to sweep them down around her. Immediate silence filled the room as Rose let her arms fold across her chest. "This is between us, Rassilon.”  She pointed to the small Time Lord grouping that Rassilon had brought with him.  “And perhaps them if you desire.  But not the children."

"Time Lords are not  _children_ ," he admonished with a snap. His eyes snapped to Ulysses when he heard the Time Lord expel a gasp of shock. "What is it?"

Ulysses shook his head and levered up his arm to point toward the students. "What in the Gods has happened to them?"

Rassilon let his eyes fall to the pupils on the floor. His jaw gaped to see the entire gymnasium frozen in a single moment in time. He looked back toward Rose. "What have you done?"

Altamono stepped toward her with a finger raised and his eyes flared. "Release them  _immediately_."

"Back away," she snarled with her own hand raised high in warning. "Or I will introduce you to the universe, atom by separating atom."

Ulysses quickly stepped in between Rose and Altamono.  He held his hand up toward Rose.  “My daughter, don’t do this.”  He strode closer with cautious steps.  “This Lord is a blind fool…”

“I know,” she answered with a smile and an arch in her brows.  “As are most, I’m discovering.”

“Most,” Ulysses agreed with a smile as he cupped her hand in his and lifted her knuckles to his mouth.  “But not all.  Do remember that.”

She sighed at the press of his lips against her knuckles.  “You should probably leave, _Father_.” 

He winked at her in a cheeky manner so like the Doctor that it made her gasp.  “Not when the show is about to begin.”

Altamono narrowed his eyes at the display. He flicked the backs of his fingers against Ulysses’ back.  “Disgraceful behavior.”

“Indeed,” he huffed as he straightened his back and stepped back from Rose. 

Altamono grunted and then indicated the student body with a nod of his head.  "What have you done with the students? Why are they frozen, yet we are not?"

"Time bubble," she answered him smoothly. The look that she rewarded him with was akin to regarding him like a drooling idiot. The answer should have been immediately obvious and she sighed to have to explain it to him. "Inside our tiny pocket, time moves so quickly. So very quickly." She smiled at the young Doctor being safely cradled by River Song. "So quickly that they stand perfectly still by comparison. They can't see us. But  _oh_  we can see them."

"Very clever," Rassilon purred deeply. "But why would you want to do that and not stand before them like a Goddess?"

"Not really my thing," she answered with a sigh. "I'm more than happy to allow them the misguided belief that you stand before them as their mighty God, their Grand Master, Lord President, or whomever you wish to be called."

"You are so kind."

"I am, aren't I?"

Rassilon stood to his full height to loom once again over the petite blonde woman. He looked down his nose at her standing so low before him. "So you are the protector of the Storm," he stated along a troubled voice. "Tell me, Rose Tyler. You refused to unleash your power.  Eeven when faced with extreme pain and suffering it wouldn’t emerge.  Is that because you have lack of control over your power; or that is it only at the peril of your beloved Doctor that the Wolf is unleashed."

"Oh," she sang with a haunted smile. "You're a smart man, Rassilon of Prydon. You tell me."

His face fell with disgust. "You have given  _him_  control over you? The  _Doctor_?"

Altamono coughed. "That mad fool?"

“That’s my _son_ you’re speaking about, Altamono,” Ulysses growled.

“Who is a mad fool,” Altamono reaffirmed with a sneer.  “As much a fool as the man who loomed him.”

"Theta Sigma is a brilliant child, the Doctor a  _brilliant_  man," she corrected sharply as she stalked around him. Her eyes were disgustedly steeled on Altamono, but her words directed at the other Lord. "Tell me, Rassilon," she purred as her eyes shifted toward him. "Does it burn you that you aren't the one in control?"

He was unfazed and merely smiled at her. "Not really. I know just how to control you," he breezed victoriously along a breath. "If I wanted to I could. With my hands on one man, I can control you completely."

She laughed. "That's where you're wrong." She moved in close to let her words ghost across his cheek. "Noone can control me. Not you. Not him." She stepped back and peered through her brows at him. "Not even me."

"But  _I_  can," the threatened in a whisper.

"Why do you presume that? Because you're a Lord of Time?" At his gleeful grin and nod of his head, Rose stepped backward. She set her hands on her hips and erupted into laughter. "Oh that's just  _brilliant_! Who said that Time Lords were all boring, humourless, stuffy creatures with no sense of humour. You, my dear Rassilon, should really look into Comedy."

"You dare mock me," he growled.

Her amusement immediately fell to annoyance. "You dare suggest that you, a mortal creature, has control over Time?" She shook her head. "Time Lords are mere children allowed to play in Time's playground. You have no more control than any other creature who can access Vortex power to dance across time lines." She tapped thoughtfully at her lip. "Even members of the Human species have that power." She skipped from foot to foot with a dramatic sway as though dancing. "Hop. Skip and jump through time. The only difference between other species and the Time Lords is that you pompous men of Gallifrey have prettier machines and seem to think that you control it all – time and space – and therefore claim yourselves to be the ultimate rulers of Time."

Rose smiled darkly. "The truth, Rassilon of Prydon. The truth is that you men who claim to be the  _Lords of Time_  are actually no more in control of it than anyone else. Including those that you view as a lower species."

It was clear that Rassilon was in no mood to argue, nor did he want to dignify her comments with any of his own. Instead he folded his arms across his chest and glared down at her.

Rose mirrored his stance with an arrogant one of her own. "The Doctor tames me because I allow him to. He stands as the protector of time, whereas you and your Council of Lords seek only to control, exploit and destroy it."

His lip twitched at her words. "If your words are true, then why would you think I am not looking to destroy you now?"

"Two reasons," she breathed softly. "One. You can't. And two. You need something from me." She winked coyly and sang her next line like a child taunting a sibling. "And I know what that  _something_  is."

"You suggest that I can't defeat you and look across the universe for another daughter of time?" He snickered. "You aren't the only one in this universe, Rose Tyler."

"Perhaps not," she admitted. "But please. Go ahead and try," she challenged him darkly. "On  _both_  counts."

"It will only take my hands upon one man, Rose Tyler. One foolish madman, and you are at my mercy."

He watched as she strode by him and dragged her finger down from his shoulder to his wrist. She looked up with an expression of …  _seduction_? Seduction to do just what, exactly? He let his stone cold eyes shift with her every movement. His breath hitched as her hands pressed into his chest and she rolled up onto her toes to bring her mouth in line with his. Her eyes held on his lips a moment before they dragged up to look into his eyes.

Her voice was a low whisper. "If you even so much as consider doing anything to him I will scatter you throughout all of Time and Space." Her voice became breathy and slightly intoxicating as it ghosted by his ear. "And then, in your final moments of conscious awareness I will destroy everything else you hold dear. Including your hope of rescuing Gallifrey."

Rassilon shuddered; although he couldn't accurately detail just what emotion caused such a reaction. "If you destroy Gallifrey," he challenged with a swallow. "You will destroy your Doctor."

"Mmmm," she hummed. "Gallifrey is already gone."

Rassilon and the other Time Lords gasped in absolute horror. "How could you say such a thing?"

"I'm from a future beyond the Time War, Rassilon." She stepped back from him and lowered her head to glare through her brows at him. "I saw it all. Gallifrey burned," she snarled. "Mother Gallifrey cried in agony as she and her children burned. The Time Lords were defeated at their own hand; by their own arrogance."

"And what of the Daleks?"

"The Daleks continue to ravage the universe."

Altamono growled. "It's a lie!"

"What is?" She growled in response. "That the Lords of Time were so arrogant in their belief that they are the masters of time that they brought forth a war to end it all?" She blinked slowly. "You are not the Masters of Time, you fool. Time is  _your_  master, and you will do well to keep that in mind as your civilization marches toward annihilation."

Rassilon's glare was dark. "How did it burn, Wolf?  _Who_ destroyed our home?"

Her eyes flashed. "You all did. Time Lords and Daleks alike."

"How were we defeated by the Daleks," he growled. "How do we stop them?"

"You can't," she said simply with a look down to her fingernails. "You really can't."

Rassilon let a brow rise slowly up his forehead as he stepped in toward her and lowered his mouth to beside her ear. "But  _you_  can." He looked down to her mouth as she slowly looked up to him. "I  _know_ you can. It's prophesized. The Wolf will save Gallifrey."

"Perhaps," she sang inside a sigh. "Perhaps."

Rassilon remained quiet. His expression was neutral as he watched the woman in front of him consider her words. "Will you save Gallifrey?"

"If I am to help you," she said finally as her eyes shifted to his. "Then there is something that I need from you first."

"Anything," he breathed. "Your wish is…"

"Ulysses," she interrupted quickly. Her eyes flashed toward the man in question, and she wasn’t surprised to see him step back in shock.  Her eyes shifted back to Rassilon.  "In my timeline he’s lost.  You need to tell me how I can find him."

"Why?"

"Because the sentence you have imposed on the parents of the man I love is unreasonable and inhumane." Her eyes narrowed. "And if it stands that the powers of Gallifrey deem that the torturous death of a bonded pair is appropriate sentence for actions that are no more a crime than stealing a loaf of bread, then I will say right now that I won't aid and abet any designs to change Gallifrey's timeline." She cleared her throat. "Gallifrey is long dead in my time. It means nothing to me to leave it that way."

Ulysees looked at Rassilon with horror stretched across his face.  “Lord President.  What is she talking about?”

"Marissa committed treason," Rassilon snarled with deliberate ignorance to Ulysses’ question.

“She did no such thing,” she yelled in reply.  “It was _you_ , Rassilon who committed a treasonous act, not Marissa.”

Ulysses looked panicked.  “What?  What is she talking about?”

Rassilon stepped forward and stabbed his finger into Rose’s chest.  “Marissa defied her Lord President and his orders.  The punishment imposed more than fits the crime.”

"So does the demise of Gallifrey." She raised her head and looked behind her at the wheezing and whining sound of a TARDIS materialization. "My Doctor," she breathed lovingly.

"I will not give you what you're looking for," Rassilon growled out sharply. "I will not fall to the whim of a lovesick child…"

"Then your world will burn." She snapped her fingers to release the hold upon the students of Cadon. Immediately the deafening silence morphed to a more comforting white noise. "This discussion is over." Her eyes still aglow, she looked toward River Song. "The Storm. He's coming."

River Song offered a frown of confusion. As she was locked outside of the time bubble, she had missed the entire exchange. "Oh. Okay." She shook herself quickly and jumped to her feet at the sound of the materializing TARDIS. "What'd I miss?"

Rose still shone a golden hue, but she shrugged and turned on her heel at the sound of the telltale creak of the TARDIS door opening. "Nothing, much, River. Just typical pompous Time Lord Arrogance at play." Rose's face opened up to a smile as her pinstriped Doctor popped his head through the doorway and gave her a broad – if not faked - grin. "My Doctor."

"Are you okay?" River queried with genuine concern to see her lightly sway on her feet. She cupped at Rose's elbow. "You're not going to go all psycho on us, are you?"

Rose shook her head and grinned as she leaned back to launch to a run into the Doctor's waiting arms. "I've missed you!" Her launch forward was halted by a large hand on her arm. She yelped as she was roughly pulled back and then spun to face Rassilon's angered glare.

"We aren’t yet done," he snarled into her face. His other hand moved to grab at her other arm and he hauled her up against his chest so that her feet weren't touching the floor. "You don't leave until I say you can."

"Rassilon. Stop," The Doctor shouted as he moved into a run toward them. "Put her down. You don't know what trouble you're putting yourself in."

"I know what I'm doing," he growled in response over Rose's shoulder. "Stay where you are, Doctor, or I will destroy her."

Rose's voice crooned evenly from an inch away from Rassilon's face. "Are you very sure about that, Time Lord?"

Rassilon flicked his eyes from the Doctor, who was dancing from foot to foot with terrified energy, to Rose, who was calmly staring at him with an unreadable expression. Her look was so even, so calm, and so emotionless, that it gave the large Time Lord a start. He refused, however, to let her feet back on the ground. He made do with false bravado. "We still have much to talk about, you and I. And until you agree to my terms, you don't leave Gallifrey."

Rose blinked.

River frowned and looked warily to the Doctor, who looked more anxious than she'd ever seen him. "Doctor?"

"Oh," he croaked. "It might be a good idea to move the pupils out of here."

"That bad?"

He nodded with a wince. "yeah."  Another nod.  “Oh yes.”

Rose could vaguely sense the movement of the pupils being moved from the room. Her focus was tight upon the brow of the Time Lord who held her arms with such ferocity that she was beginning to bruise. She didn't squirm. She didn't move. She didn't whimper. She barely breathed. But her golden eyes, however, flared wide and hot, and practically bored holes in Rassilon's forehead.

Finally, she spoke. Her voice was so quiet that it was barely a whisper. "Let me down."

"I will not."

"You will."

"I will see that you are held in contempt…"

"Contempt of  _what_?" she spat inside a laugh. "Contempt for your obnoxious and pretentious attitude toward all you deem unworthy to his Lordship?" She shifted forward in his hold. "Guilty."

"You will come with me."

"I will not," she snarled as she finally gave a single and solid kick against his shin. She was dropped quickly and smirked at his wince. "Sorry."

"No you're not," he charged as he reached for her again. His hand snagged her wrist. "Noone defies Rassilon. You will do as I demand of you."

Her eyes lit brightly enough to illuminate her entire face. "Gallifrey will burn – and time will be cleansed of the rule of Rassilon!"

"Rose," the Doctor yelled desperately from the doorway as he launched into a run toward her, River hot on his heels. "No! Stop!"

Rose's head swung to shine bright eyes to the panicked Doctor. "I'm sorry," she sang. "So sorry."

"Rose. Stop this!"

Rose's head snapped back toward Rassilon and with a deep growl, she slapped both of her hands against the sides of his head, striking his temples with her fingers. She held firm as the Time Lord Master was driven to his knees in front of her.

The remaining Time Lords, Ulysees, the Doctor, and River shielded their eyes with their forearms as the light from the pairing of Rassilon and the Bad Wolf blasted hotly from between them. Rassilon boomed a yell for freedom. Rose thundered a growl of victory.

And then it was over.

With a vacuumous hiss and pop, Rose separated herself from Rassilon and stumbled a staggered gait backward. She tripped and fell, but was caught quickly by her waiting Doctor, who scooped her up into his arms.

"Are you okay, Rose?"

"Yeah," she panted hoarsely.

The Doctor wore a worried frown as he looked toward Rassilon, who swayed uneasily on his knees. He looked back to his father. "Rassilon?"

Ulysses shook his head with a grimace.  “Go, Son.  You’d best go.”

Rassilon fell forward onto his hands, but found energy to raise one hand to assure his fellow Lords that he was fine. "Doctor. Listen to your father.  Get your Bond Mate out of here." His head lifted to look upon him and to Rose with fear and loathing. "Leave Gallifrey, and don't return."

"I guarantee you we won't," he vowed with a drop of his head. "Nothing good ever comes from being here anyway."

Rassilon tenderly drew himself to a stand and did his utmost to stand tall. "Rose Tyler. You have the information that you require." He coughed. "I trust that you will now reconsider."

Rose gave him a silent look and then ducked her head into the Doctor's shoulder, hiding behind his lapel. Any sign of Bad Wolf was gone. "My head, Doctor. S'Killing me."

"I know, Sweetheart. Let's go home," he said softly, before he passed a look to River. "Theta. Is he okay?"

"Yeah," River answered with a nod.  “I got him out.”

"Good. Good." He pressed his lips into Rose's hair. He briefly closed his eyes and then opened them and regarded the remaining Time Lords with a respectful bowing of his head. "We've gotto go. Thank you for your hospitality."  He looked apologetically toward Ulysses.  “Father.  I’m sorry.”

“Go, Son,” he answered hoarsely.  “Do what you have to do.  I’m sure that I’m waiting for you.”

River gave a wave as she followed the Doctor and Rose into the TARDIS. "It was lovely.  Thank you for your hospitality.  Till we meet again, boys. Stay arrogant!" As the doors closed, she turned on the pair. "Okay. Do we want to explain just what the hell happened back there?"

"Later," the Doctor answered solemnly as he set Rose onto the jumpseat and moved to the control console. "Let's just get back to Lungbarrow."

 


	57. Telepathic Foreplay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the events of Cadon ... Rose tries something a little new on her Doctor...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a while, yeah? snicker ....

The Doctor wasted no time at all in trifling with the console of his ship.  He didn’t even take the time to yell to River Song to take control of the machine.  He didn’t have time   He had to get Rose to the infirmary and make sure that her recent rashes of exposure to the Bad Wolf energies hadn’t done any irreparable damage.  He was extremely wary of the Bad Wolf.  So very terrified of it, of what it had done to her in the past, and what it could possibly have done to her this time around. He wasn't going to waste any time fiddling about with inputting coordinates back to Lungbarrow. Time could be too short to do that. The Time Lords and Cadon would have to put up with a faded old Police Box in their training hall for a little bit longer than they'd be thrilled with.  With that decision made, he bypassed all of the expected protocols completely without so much as a second thought as he raced past River Song with his young wife tucked safely under his arm.  There was really no time to waste.

"C'mon, Rose. Let's get you checked out," he breathed in as calm a voice as he could manage as he moved them toward the entrance to the hallway.

Rose shook her head and planted her feet in the grating to halt them near the console. "Blimey, Doctor.  What’s with all this panic, then?”

He danced a little from foot to foot and tugged urgently at her hand.  “Trip to the infirmary, Rose,” he sang with a smile intended to urge her along.  “Just a quick scan to make sure that you’re in tip top shape…”

She rolled her eyes.  She wasn’t fooled for a minute.  “Doctor,” she breathed out in warning as she shook her hand free of his.  “I'm fine."

His hand snaked out to grasp at hers again and he tugged insistently to convince her to follow. "Ahh. But it won't hurt for us to take a little look, right?"  He grinned wide with encouragement.  “Might be good to test out all of the young girl’s new scanning equipment, yeah?”

“Can we do that later?”  Rose tugged her hand from his and shrugged as she leaned up against a coral strut.  "I just want to get out of this school," she said with a shrug as she jutted her chin toward the centre console of the TARDIS, which was pulsing a deep orange colour. "Looks like our girl wants out of here as much as I do."  Her eyes shifted back to the Doctor and she gestured toward the doorway with a tip of her ear. “Let’s not forget _them_ , too, yeah?”

He raised his eyes to the console and winced lightly. His mind warred with just what was more pressing right now, seeing to the safety of his Rose or answering his ship's urgent pleading to depart Cadon.

Rose won out.  Of course she did.

"It's okay, we're okay for now." He tugged at her hand. "The Academy can put up with a Time Capsule in their training hall for a little while longer.  The Gods know that it’d do the cadets some good to see a capsule that’s actually done her fair share of travelling through the vortex.”  He tugged again.  “Now you on the other hand…"

"Am perfectly fine," she finished for him as she tugged her hand free and walked toward the console with a tired look toward River Song.  “Aren’t I, River?”  She waited for her friend to shrug and then passed her gaze up at the monitor.  She caressed the console with loving tenderness. "Daddy’s being a little unreasonable to both of us right now isn’t he, Sweetheart. I know. Oh, I know that you're not happy to be here."

The Doctor’s face steeled in obvious annoyance.  He exhaled a sharp huff that contained her name and snapped out his hand in a demand for her to take it.

Rose rewarded that gesture with a rather affronted glare and folded arms of defiance and challenge across her chest.  Not wanting to take on a challenge that he just might lose, he opted to take a somewhat different approach.   He slumped in a deliberately undistinguished non-Time Lord manner and whined her name rather pathetically inside a long breath.  He then straightened himself up again and held his hand out to Rose with a wriggle of invitation in his fingers.   "Please.  For your loving husband’s peace of mind, will you let me do a few tests in the med bay?"

She spun and leaned her backside into the edge of the console. "Fine. Sonic me."

"What?"

"Sonic me," she repeated. "I'll acquiesce to a sonic scan, if you promise me that you'll multitask and get us out of here." She pointed to the doorway. "Time Lords, Doctor. Lots of Time Lords out there who are a little bit annoyed with you and me right now.  Time Lords who know how to get into TARDISes."

"I have to agree with her, Doctor," River agreed quickly as she took position beside Rose. "Rassilon seems pretty eager to get his hands on her. Do you really want to waste time and let him change his mind about letting the two of you go?"

The Doctor curled his lip in frustration and leaned in between both women to push up a lever and press a button on the console. "Inside the three minutes you've been arguing with me on getting checked out, Rose, I could have already set the scanners on you in the infirmary  _and_  had us in the Vortex." The rotor whined and wheezed loudly as it dematerialized from Cadon and flew up into the Vortex to orient herself before returning to Gallifrey and Lungbarrow. "All arguing with me does is just waste time."

"Then perhaps you shouldn't argue with me, Doctor."

"No.  _You_  shouldn't be arguing with  _me_ ," he countered sharply, his annoyance crystal clear to both women. "Experienced Time Lord, remember.”

Rose’s eyes flared with fury.  “Excuse me?”

He wasn’t at all fazed by her ire.  He pointed sharply to the door to the main corridor. “As per your request, we're no longer on Gallifrey. Now how about you answer to _mine_ , and let your _Doctor_ do a few precautionary scans to make sure that you’re okay and that the time energies you’ve called on _twice_ today haven’t done any permanent damage?"

"No."

He coughed in disbelief.  “Excuse me, _what_?”

“I said no,” she argued with quite a handful of petulance inside her glare. "Because I happen to know that I’m perfectly fine."

River Song cleared her throat in a show of discomfort.  "Rose.  Listen to him.  It might be a good idea to have the Doctor take a quick look at you," she advised softly.

“Well of course you’d take _his_ side,” Rose moaned pitifully.

"I can understand his concern.  Honestly.  What I just saw with you and Rassilon." She blew out a breath. "That was quite something, Rose. More energy than I've seen outside of. Well. Outside of anything, really."  She tilted her head to one side and offered a smile of support.  “You have to make sure that you’re properly free of it.”

"Precisely," the Doctor agreed quickly, with definite thrill at having backup in the form of River Song. He tenderly cupped his hand to Rose’s jaw and softened his voice to a gentle burr.  "Please, Love.  Let me take a look.”

Rose closed her eyes to lean into his touch and let out a sigh.  “We should be landing soon, yeah?”

He shook his head.  “We're hovering in the Vortex right now so we have time before materializing."

Rose’s attention shifted. "You mean she isn't going straight back to Lungbarrow?" A brow flicked as she looked quickly to the console. "Is she okay?"

He shrugged. "She's very young, remember. Our girl – oh so clever she is – is just acquainting herself with the Vortex before she heads back to Lungbarrow."

"Why would she want to do that?" Rose queried suspiciously.

"Because she's so very new to this universe," he explained quickly. "It's important for her to be able to get up into the vortex and immediately be able to very quickly orientate herself to materialize as per the coordinates I've entered. Sometimes we have to hop skip and jump it really quickly, you know, in those emergency situations, and she needs to know how to be able to burst in and out of the Vortex with precise accuracy…"

"Bullshit," she challenged with a snarl as her arms snaked into a fold across her chest.

The Doctor's eyes flared and his jaw twitched with a start at her challenge. Slowly, he angled his head to one side with about as much deliberation as a dog cocking its head in analysis. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"I heard you disrespecting me," he said carefully.

"Indeed," she muttered as she pulled from the console and spun in place to drop into the jumpseat. She looked along her shoulder at him. "But tit for tat and all that," she said with a sniff. "You get all cagy on me, and I'll throw it right back atcha."

"I'm not being cagy."

"We've done three lots of travel in this beautiful girl since her birth a few days ago: once through a parallel wormhole into this universe into the vortex, then another to Kasterborous, and then to Lungbarrow. At no point did she deem it necessary to  _orient_ herself in the vortex before landing." She paused to watch as River whistled softly to herself and wandered to a coral strut across the console from her. Rose kept her eyes on the Doctor's future wife as she continued. "So why now, Doctor?" She let her eyes move to him. "Why did my beautiful ship decide, right at this moment, that orientating herself in the vortex rather than simply returning to Lungbarrow was the option of the hour?"

"I don't know," he answered darkly. "I'm not the ship."

"No, but you're her pilot, aren't you?" She tilted her head at him. "Isn't she supposed to go where you tell her to go?" She ignored the pulsing hum of the ship that could have been a chuckle. "That  _is_  what a pilot does, yeah? They tell the ship where to go?"

He thumbed at his nose. He tugged at his ear. He cleared his throat. "You know as well as I do that the TARDIS doesn't always go where I want her to go."

She licked at her teeth under closed lips and nodded a moment before she made a sucking noise with her tongue. "You mean like landing us on Gallifrey nine hundred years earlier than the time coordinates you initially set." She said flatly.

"Exactly," he replied with an urgent huff. "Mind of her own, this one." He hooked his hand around her elbow and coaxed her to move with him toward the entrance to the main hallway. "So while we wait for her to do what she needs to do to get us back to Lungbarrow – hopefully in the same timeline that we left it – we can get you to the infirmary for a quick scan. Better that we get you sorted out now rather than later…"

Rose remained rooted to the floor. She flicked his hand from her elbow. "I happen to know that I am very fine right now, Doctor. There's nothing for you to be concerned about." She tapped at her temple. "Unless you’re worried about the mess that you and your brother created by digging around inside my head – and without my consent I might add…"

"You let me in," he argued.

"Yes, I did. But I didn't let  _him_  in there." Her eyes were narrowed and annoyed. "He has no right to be inside my head, Doctor. No right. How could you let him in there?"

"We had no choice," he pleaded softly. "Rassilon was frying your mind."

Rose pursed her lips and shook her head. "Actually. No. He wasn't." She sighed on a high note. "He was trying to open my ability to be able to call and control the power of Bad Wolf at will." She hooked her hair behind her ear. "You have it so tightly locked away in there that."

"Because you'll burn, Rose," he argued along a worried tone. "The power is too strong." He cupped her face in his hands and looked beseechingly into her eyes. "You know what it's done to the both of us in the past. I'm not letting it take you away from me." He dropped a hand to punch at his chest. "I need you," he pleaded. "By Rassilon, Rose. This whole universe needs you."

"I know," she managed on a breaking voice through a gentle smile as she lovingly stroked at his arm. "And as I have repeatedly told you: I'm not going anywhere. I'm with you forever."

"Rose…"

"I promise you, Doctor. I'm never leaving you. Bad Wolf or not, you're stuck with me."

He snatched her in for a hug and stared along the top of her head toward River Song with watering eyes. "I'm scared, Rose," he admitted shakily. "I know what I become when I lose you. I don't want to go through that again."

"Selfish much," she said inside a forced laugh.

"Yeah," he croaked as his hold tightened around her. "Yeah.  I am.  Very."

Rose pulled back from him and rubbed at both his arms as she rolled onto her toes to press a chaste kiss against his mouth. "You're entitled I guess." She flicked up a finger in a teasing warning. "But just this once, okay?"

He shook his head, letting his hand chase her as she stepped away from him. "Nah. When it comes to you, the selfishness is ongoing." His hand dropped to his side as Rose escaped and dropped into the jump seat. "So no scan then?"

"The TARDIS has already completed one," she answered with a wink. "Smart girl we have here, she scanned us all as we crossed the threshold." She paused to let his face fall into an  _ahhh_  of realization before continuing. "We made some improvements, she 'n me. I'd have given you an updated operating manual – but we both know that you'd just end up tossing it into the vortex, so…"

His face cracked into a smile as his head dropped and his hands settled onto his hips. "Guilty as charged, of course." He raised his eyes up to hers. "When we get back to Pete's World, it looks like you, TARDIS and me have some debriefing to do."

"Oh," she purred with a giggle in response. "You can  _debrief_  me any time you want, Doctor. The TARDIS, however. Well, I'm very sure she can provide an adequate  _debriefing room_ …"

He reddened immediately upon hearing River Song let up a sharp laugh. "Oh. Well. Yes. Indeed." He cleared his throat and quickly moved to the console. His voice was definitely higher than usual when he continued. "Let's get back to Lungbarrow, shall we? I'm sure that River Song is eager to return to her. Uhm. Yes. So. Allons-y then."

"Take your time, Cowboy," River Song crooned with an amused chuckle. "No need to rush these things."

His eyes flicked up to meet hers. While he said nothing in response, the glint in his eye and the twist in his lip spoke volumes. He smiled as he thrust up another lever on the console.

"Lungbarrow," he said finally. "And we should be there rather shortly." His eyes shifted to Rose, who seemed to be studying him with a stern expression of absolute concentration. "And then we can, uhm,  _discuss_  things, yeah?"

She said nothing.

He raised a brow. "Rose?"

Still, Rose remained silent; wearing that intense glare of concentration upon the Doctor.

He adjusted his tie and leaned down over the console to distract himself from the stare. "So. River. How did you like the young me, then?" He cleared his throat with a minor frown and rolled back his shoulders to let his blazer slip off his arms. "I was a cute young Time Lord, wasn't I?"

River had a single brow seated high on her forehead. The Doctor was looking very uncomfortable – and was sounding it if the squeak in his voice meant anything – and she was fairly sure that the discomfort wasn't solely because he was eager to get to the _debriefing_.

"Are you okay, Doctor?" she asked carefully.

He cleared his throat again and actually winced as he loosened the knot of his tie and started to roll up the sleeves of his oxford. "Yep. Okay. Very fine. Better than fine. Most assuredly alright. Right as rain, me. King of Okay." He wiped at his brow. "Do you think it's a little warm in here? I think it is. TARDIS, care to lower the temperature in here. Thanks, old girl."

River looked toward Rose, who still studiously studied the Doctor, and then looked back to the man at the console. "Oh-ka-a-ay," she breathed.

The Doctor let out a peep and pressed both hands down into the edge of the TARDIS console. He dropped his head low and took a couple of deep breaths. "Rose. Please stop."

"I'm not doing anything," she purred with amusement.

"You know very well what you're doing," he fired back on a croaking voice.

"Still not doing anything," she answered smoothly with her eyes still locked tight on him. "Am I River?"

River shrugged with a smile. "She seems to be just sitting quietly, Doctor. I haven't seen her move or get up to anything out of the ordinary."

"Thank you," Rose chuckled. Her eyes were still squarely focused on the Doctor. "See? Not doing anything."

He closed his eyes and let out a short moan as he dipped to one side involuntarily. "Rose," he whimpered as he quickly caught himself and straightened up. He gave himself a shake and turned his head to fire a hot glare toward her. "That's enough of that if you please."

"Enough of what?" she whispered with a single sided smirk.

He answered her question with a narrowing in his eyes. "You know  _exactly_  what. And it's not entirely appropriate given that we're not exactly alone right now."

She licked at her lip and leaned forward slightly to increase her focus. "Mmhmm."

River was intrigued, although she had a rather nagging feeling that she quite probably shouldn't be. "You know," she started with a point toward the doorway to the main corridor entrance. "I think this might be a good point for me to ask where the ladies is. It's been a long day, and I really should think about using the facilities and perhaps give the two of you a moment alone."

Her breath drew in hard as the Doctor suddenly made a swift movement across the console to stand in front of Rose. He folded his arms tightly across his chest and loomed down over her. "You want to play that game,  _sweetheart_ ," he growled out threateningly. "You really want to do this with me?"

Rose was kind enough to squirm just slightly under the glare of the Storm. "Uhm."

"Because – trust me – you  _really_  don't want to issue this challenge." He leaned down to press his fists into the arm rests either side of where his wife was seated. "I have that unfair advantage of being quite the specialist in this area."

She shuddered under his gaze. "Oh-ka-a-a-y," she managed before her breath suddenly hitched and her face flushed crimson. "Oh, God."

He pushed himself back up to a stand ahead of her and fisted his hands deep into the pockets of his trousers. "Close, but not quite," he said with a smug smirk. "So, are you done, or are you still…" His head tilted backward and he gave quite a distinct shudder. "By Rassilon, Rose," he gritted through clenched teeth. "That's just playing dirty."

She grinned darkly with that tongue-touched smile that drove the Doctor mad. "It is…" She squirmed and moaned loudly along a broken breath. "God. Doctor, how long until we land?"

He palmed a button on the console behind him, and the whine and wheeze of the engines stopped. "We're here."

"Oh thank God for that," River yelped as she pushed herself from the railing and bolted to the door. She hauled the door open and burst into the Great Hall of Lungbarrow in time to miss whatever just took place behind her that made Rose squeal out and the Doctor growl a moan.

She pulled to a slam the door behind her. "Whatever you do.  _Don't_  go anywhere near the inside of this machine for a long  _long_  while."

Amy tilted her body enough to look around River Song toward the TARDIS doors.  “Why not?  Everything okay in there?”

“The answer to that really does depend on who you are.”  She shuddered and shook her head.  “While I’m in full support of the both of them doing what it is they want to do to express their _fondness_ for each other, I’d rather not be party to it.”

Eleven’s brows pinched tightly together and he raised his head from the trinket he had moving from hand to hand with obvious boredom.  “What’s he gone and done now?”

River turned with definite flourish to face him.  There was a cheeky little smile across her cheeks as she lowered her voice to a purr.  "Tell me, Doctor, is telepathic foreplay typical with the Lords of Time?"

Eleven let his look of curious annoyance fall to something far closer to embarrassed. He rolled his shoulder and cleared his throat in discomfort. "Oh. Yes. Of course it’s only really possible between bonded pairs.”  His head dropped, but he lifted his eyes to offer her a look full of chagrinned apology.  “Oh tell me that he didn’t … I’m so sorry that you had to be there for that, River. I'll have a discussion with him regarding his decorum when..."  he helpelessly flapped his hand in the direction of the TARDIS.  “When he’s done in there.”

"No need, really," she offered with a smirk. "If I had the same opportunity with a certain Doctor, I doubt that I would've held back." She passed a look to Amy. "It looked pretty intense."

"It is," the Doctor offered. "It's more than just the physical sensations. Telepathically, you get the entire pantheon of physical and emotional sensations in one overwhelming moment." He then reddened and coughed. "Not that we should ever be discussing anything of this nature at all. It's not wholly appropriate, nor is it at all relevant to any discussion we should ever have about anything."

Amy leaned in close to the reddening Time Lord. "If I ever want to get you so embarrassed that you cease to function in that Time-Lordy way, I believe we have the trigger."

"Pond…"

"Did they have priests and monks on your planet; because you'd make a pretty good candidate for it."

"Why do you tease me so, Pond?"

"Because it's fun, and I'm bored." She squeaked as both doors to the TARDIS screeched open. "What the?"

Both Rose and the Meta Crisis Doctor seemed to be shoved out of the TARDIS doors and were smartly cracked across their asses by the slamming of the doors behind them. Rose's Cadon tunic and pants were haphazardly skewed and undone. The Doctor's Oxford appeared to be missing all of its buttons and was completely free from the tuck of his trousers. His trousers were undone at the button and zipper, but he held them up with the clutch of one hand.

Flustered and panting, both Rose and the Doctor spared a guilty and chided look between each other. The look only lasted for a second before they suddenly burst into simultaneous laughter. Rose clutched at her belly, the Doctor laid the back of his head against the door of the TARDIS.

"I guess," Rose managed between laughs, "she didn't approve."

"She's no fun, is she?" The Doctor wiped a tear from his eye. "Such a prude."

Rose sniffed and calmed herself down somewhat, offering a wink to the Eleventh Doctor and his companions. "So-o-o-o? How are we all doing?"

"TARDIS a little upset with you, then?" Amy teased with a laugh.

She held her thumb and index finger about a millimeter apart. "Yep. A little bit."

"Up against the console is not TARDIS approved, I take it?"

"Apparently not," Rose answered with her laughter bubbling back up in her chest. "Definitely not, in fact." She looked down to her hand as the Doctor's hand grasped at hers. "Doctor?"

He leaned down to her ear. "All is not lost. I have an idea," he promised. "Come with me, Rose Tyler. Run!"

She peeped as she was dragged – at a run – by the hand behind the Doctor.  “Uh.  Guess I’ll see ya later then, ladies.”

Amy, the Doctor, and River Song watched with amused expressions as the pair disappeared around the corner.

"Such a bouncy little puppy that one," River mused quietly.

"Which one," Amy queried with all seriousness. "You ask me, they both have that pretty bouncy puppy quality about them." She then turned quickly to River and did a fast pat-down scan of her daughter. "Are you okay? Nothing we need to worry about?"

"I'm fine," River assured on a flat tone. "I wasn't the one turned into a golden Goddess and manhandled by the Grand Master Kingpin of the Time Lord Society." She looked down to the Doctor. "How are  _you_  holding up?"

"I'm alright," he muttered. "The king of alright, I am. Perfectly fine, right as rain."

"It scares me just how much alike the two of you are," River moaned as she rubbed her eyes.

"We are essentially the same man," he defended. He leaned back in his seat. "I will assume that today was a total bust; that we didn't manage to come across the information that we required to go to our next phase of getting my Dad out of jail so we can send my brother back to his parallel and I can get back to my life of not having to be near him. Am I correct?"

"Assumption is widely known to be the mother of all screw ups," River said along a sigh. "And in this case it is most certainly accurate."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that Rose and Rassilon claim that she has the information that we require." She answered. "What that is, I'm not entirely sure of at this point, but I'm confident that the moment she and her Doctor have finished  _celebrating_  the fact that she made it out of being the Big Bad Wolf in one piece that she'll let us know."

"That could take a while," Amy moaned. "I've been cooped up in here all day and am getting a case of cabin fever. I need to get out, get some dinner or something."

"Not safe for you out there," the Doctor warned. "We're in a time where off worlders aren't very welcome on Gallifrey."

"Yes," River said in agreement. "The pompous, self righteous, holier than thou Lords of Gallifrey aren't welcome to we lesser species."

"I'd be offended by that remark if it wasn't completely accurate," the Doctor gruffed. He looked to the TARDIS. "Why don't you join your husband," he offered. "Rory has engaged himself quite happily in the Entertainment Room for the entire day."

She leaned down to him. "I am not a man. I can't sit in front of the telly all day and do nothing but scratch my balls, fart, burp, eat and sleep."

"Okay. On  _that_  one I'll take offence." He scratched at his hair. "It is inaccurate to suggest that all men are made of the same mould."

"Oh, I dunno," Amy sang. "You've been watching the telly all day here."

"I've been monitoring…" He shook himself. "No. I'm not going to dignify that with a response."

"I have silenced the Doctor," Amy cheered. "I believe I have rendered you speechless, and therefore have proven my charge that all men are the same."

Rose's voice sang in from deep in the corridor. "Never has a truer sentiment been spoken." She appeared out of the darkness, alone, and with a smile on her face. "All you lot. Same. Any planet. Any universe."

The Doctor watched her approach with a neutral gaze. "Where's my brother, then?"

"Passed out in the heart of the house," Rose answered with a victorious rise of her arms above her head. "Shagged him to unconsciousness."

River made a show of looking at her watch. "I have to say, Rose. That didn't take very long."

"Quality, not quantity," she defended with a wink. She tapped at her temple. "Involve this, and he's a goner. Every. Time."

Amy chuckled and nudged the Doctor. "So he's a roll over go to sleep kind of guy, then?"

The Doctor cleared his throat in discomfort. "Really, ladies? Is this something that requires discussion?"

All three answered simultaneously. "Yes!"

"Then you may go and blog elsewhere, please." He swept his hand in the air to shoo them away. "I don't desire to partake in any such discussion." As River opened her mouth to speak, he flicked his finger at her. "After regeneration, he and I became two very different men. Attempting to compare based on …  _him_  … is not wholly representative of.." His eyes flashed open. "And why am I even engaging in this and trying to defend myself here?"

His fluster brought amusement out in all three women. Rose patted him on his shoulder, and then pressed a kiss to his cheek. "My darling Doctor. Don't let us get to you."

"Hard not to, Rose."

She put her arms around his neck from behind and fingered at the buttons of his shirt. "Do you still have it," she queried softly.

He drew his fingers along her forearm and sighed deeply. "I do."

"Where is it?"

He twisted his thumb under the collar of his shirt to draw free a thick chain. At its middle hung a silver key. "My TARDIS locks were made to fit this key, and all of the keys I've ever cut for myself and any companion were cut from this one."

"So all this time?"

He held her arms and leaned back into her. "I've never taken it off. My Arkytior gave it to me. It's the most precious thing I own."

"You sentimental oaf," she whispered against his ear with a soft laugh. "I love you. You know that?"

"And I, you," he vowed as he leaned his head against hers. "Since I was nine years old."

Rose kissed at the top pf his head and pulled herself away from him. She sidled across to her TARDIS and leaned against the doors for a moment. "River. You can pilot a TARDIS, yeah?"

"I can."

"Terrific," she cheered. "I need you to take us on a quick jaunt."

"Oh?" She smiled, knowing that anything alongside Rose was set to be an adventure. "And where were we planning on going?"

"Torchwood," Rose answered. "I have to pick up a few supplies before we get back to the time  _that we were supposed to have been in_  to jailbreak Daddy Doctor." She grinned. "How'd you like to meet your mother in law?"

The Doctor frowned. "Rose. Perhaps you should wait for your Doctor to wake up before you think of Dimension hopping to another parallel."

"Oh. We'll be fine, Doctor," Rose said with a dismissive roll of her eyes. "My girl piloted by this girl will get us there and back in no time at all."

"I'm in," Amy yelped quickly. "No arguments. I need freedom from this haunted home and creepy moving furniture."

"Sure," Rose said with a shrug. "The more the merrier. Mother will love to meet you both."

"Rose, River, Amy, no," the Doctor warned with a growl. "Don't you dare."

All three leapt to him to kiss his cheek, and then darted off before he could move toward Rose's TARDIS.

Rose gave him a wave just before she shut the door. "Be back in ten minutes, Doctor. Promise."


	58. The Doctor's Angels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meanwhile - at Pete's World...

Rose watched with an almost childish curiosity as River Song navigated her way through piloting the TARDIS. Although River Song had been initially worried about travelling through parallels, Rose wasn’t greatly concerned.  Sure, River had never piloted through universal walls before.  She’s never piloted this particular craft, either.  However, the TARDIS was most eager to assist her _sister_ and guided her through the process with her visual interface of Nine.  With the young TARDIS’ assistance, River Song was able to flawlessly fly them through time, space, and then through the small gap between walls to materialize them in the Torchwood building; or, more specifically, inside the vault that the young TARDIS had been born.

Rose jumped off the jump seat and toward the door with the manic eagerness usually held by the Doctor. She turned back for only a moment as Amy and River Song took up place behind her and spread her arms across the doors to prevent either woman from opening them. "Right. Before we step out. What day and time did we materialize?"

River wiped imaginary dust from her shoulder before it rose up into a shrug. "The coordinates were set by the TARDIS. I believe we're here five minutes after you guys had originally left."

Rose's eyes widened a moment. Her lips pursed into a slightly alarmed "O" shape. "Yes. Well. If that's the case." She winced. "It's probably still a very messy scene out there."

Amy let a brow rise on her forehead. "What kind of…”  Her eyes flared suddenly and her face blanched snow white.  “What kind of _messy_  are we talking about?" The quiver in her voice told Rose that she had probably remembered hers and the Doctor’s arrival at Kasterborous, and the sight of the both of them covered in blood.

"If you have a weak stomach," Rose warned. "Then you might want to stay in here." She looked at River and swallowed a lump. "I wore three bullets in my chest, and I'm pretty sure I was close to bleeding out completely."

Amy winced, but put a hand on Rose's shoulder. "I'm so sorry to hear that."

"But you know what," Rose spoke quickly with a smile on her face. "It's what moved that gorgeous daft man to marry me. He bonded with me as I lay dying on the floor."

"How utterly romantic," River deadpanned sarcastically. "Yet so very him."

"Well," Amy offered as she smoothed out her hair. "There is a shade of romance there. He believed that their final act together was marriage." She shot a fast look to Rose. "But that doesn't mean he gets off without the white dress and big party you know."

Rose bit at her lip as she considered the image brought to mind. "The Doctor in a white dress."

River snorted. Amy rolled her eyes. "I didn't mean it  _that_  way. Geez, Rose."

"No?"

Amy giggled. "You know what? I bet you he'd probably actually go ahead and wear one if we told him he had to. Your Doctor is a funny one."

"So  _very_  tempting."

A harsh knocking against the doors suffocated any further conversation. "Rose, darling. Is that you? Doctor? What have you done with my baby?"

Rose broke out into a grin and pulled open the door. She was immediately engulfed in the arms of her mother, cheap perfume, denim jacket, velour trackpants, and way too much gaudy makeup.

"Mum!"

"Rose. Sweetheart. I was so worried about you." Her voice cracked. "When he took you away, and you were unconscious, I was terrified I was never goin’ to see you again."

"I'm fine. More than fine. I'm wonderful." Rose held her mother tightly and sighed at the wonder that was a mother's embrace. "I missed you."

"Missed me, Sweetheart?" Jackie cooed as she released Rose and took a small step backward. "It's only been five minutes since himself took you away from me." She caught on fast and folded her arms across her chest. Her foot tapped on the floor and she had an unimpressed look upon her face. The tapping of her foot and the level of displeasure only increased when she saw two strange women file out of the TARDIS behind her.

"Oh. I see. So how long's it been for you then," Jackie gruffed with a nod toward the two new girls. "And where's himself? Hiding from me? Don't you tell me that you've been gone for so long that I have two fully grown grandchildren" She leaned around Rose to yell into the TARDIS. "Oi! Doctor. Get on out here will ya? Don't make me come in there lookin' for ya."

"No, Mum. They aren't your grandchildren," Rose said with a chuckle as she moved to bring her face into Jackie's line of sight. "The Doctor's not in there. He's still on Gallifrey."

There was a light gasp from behind Jackie. "What is my son doing on Gallifrey?" Marissa stepped to beside Jackie. "Why has he allowed you to travel alone?"

"Wel-l-l. I'm not exactly  _alone_ ," she defended uneasily. She thumbed over her shoulder. "River and Amy are with me."

River and Amy waggled their fingers in an extremely girlie manner that was out of character for them both.

Marissa's brow seated itself high as she allowed her eyes to appraise the two girls. "A Time Lord  _and_  a Human?" She shot a look to Rose. "Daughter, how was my Son able to find another Time Lord?"

"I just told you we were on Gallifrey…" Rose scratched at her head. "And, really, if we weren't it doesn't actually seem all that difficult to find one of you lot, does it?" she managed with a slight snort.

"Where is my son?"

"On Gallifrey," she repeated slowly. She then bit at her nail. "Lungbarrow, actually."

"Oh. The family home.”  She lowered her head and gave the smallest of chuckles.  “Is this where he introduced you to his much younger self?”

Rose’s smile fell.  “You remember that…”

“I certainly remember the heartbreak of my youngest at the sudden departure of his beloved Arkytior,” she answered with a smile and a slight tease in her tone.  She lifted a hand to touch her fingers lightly underneath Rose’s chin.  “For you he holds a love that spans centuries, my precious daughter.”

Her voice fell to a whisper.  “You didn’t make him forget?”

Marissa smiled and shook her head.  “Only partially.  I think he needed the blurred memories of something special to remind him that he was special, too.”

Rose could only smile in respone.

 “Anyway," Marissa said with difficulty as she swallowed back amusement and hid it well behind a mask of annoyance. "I will expect that my son doesn't know that you have his TARDIS?"

Rose was aghast.  "His TARDIS?  _His_?" Her eyes were wide and slightly petulant as she thumbed back to the TARDIS. "Okay. This delightful girl is as much mine as she is his … probably moreso, because…”  Rose paused at the somewhat righteous glare from the Doctor's mother. It was obvious that the look of incredulous annoyance was a trait the Doctor got from his mother.  “Her eyes widened and she attempted to feign innocence.  “What?”

Marissa let out a long breath.  “Why isn’t my son with you, Rose?”

Rose rubbed sheepishly at the back of her head.  "Oh. Right.  Well. Then. The Doctor. He's…"

"Oh. This is an explanation I want to hear," River teased with a grin.

Amy chuckled beside her and leaned in to River. "Why, Doctor's mother, what a day at Cadon Academy we had today. I had a scuffle with Rassilon and became Bad Wolf Time Goddess for a little while to take him down. Oh, and I even met the little boy Doctor and made him fall in love with me. So after all that, I made sure that I shagged your tenth regeneration son to complete unconsciousness and left him laying about somewhere in haunted halls of Lungbarrow so I could steal his TARDIS to cross a dimensional wall…"

"Amy," Rose huffed shortly. "You  _are_  aware that you're  _not_  using your  _inside_  voice, right?"

"Oh?" She laughed. 'You  _heard_  that?"

Rose levered a blank stare into the open space in front of her. Her voice was bland. "The entire vault heard that."

Jackie actually laughed. "Oh, Rose. He's going to kill you when you get back."

"It's far more likely that he and his brother will show up in the other TARDIS and combine their skills to kill her right here in this building," River corrected with amusement as she held out her hand to Jackie. "Hello. I'm River Song, and this is Amy. We're companions of the Doctor – the Doctor of the  _other_  universe."

Jackie wore a wide grin and shook River's hand with both of hers. "Hello. I'm Jackie. Rose's mum. Welcome to our little pocket universe. How long has it been for the Doctor, then? Is he still wearing a suit with trainers?"

"Oh it's been some time," River answered with a smile. "He's since regenerated. A younger model."

"He likes bowties now," Amy said with a grin. She leaned back against the door of the TARDIS. "Apparently he thinks they're  _cool._ "

Rose grinned widely. "And while it is definitely _not_ cool in any way, he is just one of those guys who can totally pull that look off."

"Nah," Amy disagreed. "Just. Nah-h-h"

Rose strode with timidness toward the Doctor's mother. "So. Are you mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad at you, child? For seducing my son, stealing his TARDIS and leaving him on Gallifrey as you gallivant across space, time and dimensions without him?" Her look was stern and unwavering.

While Amy and River Song chuckled behind her, Rose dipped her head to one side and offered up her most impossibly innocent look. "Yeah?"

Marissa's expression broke out into a grin and she held her arms open in invitation. "My daughter," she half cheered as she pulled rose into a tight hug. "I am not mad. I am proud. So very proud. You are the daughter of my heart." She pulled back and held her just slightly short of arm's length. "I lost count of the many times I did the same to his father. And, oh, would he get so very mad at me every single time. I’m sure you’ll find that it’s so very worth it, though." Her look became slightly serious. "As long as my Son is safe and well up there on Gallifrey."

"Both of them are," Rose assured. "The original Doctor and my special little bundle of manic Time Lord."

"Speaking of bundles," Marissa commented with quiet thrill. "Does my son yet know?"

"Does he know  _what_?"

"I will take that answer as a no, Rose Tyler." She cupped her cheek in her hand and smiled warmly. "But he will know very soon, I assure you."

"Know  _what_?"

"That you now stand before us as a being so much more than just the Doctor's wife, mate, or bonded partner."

"Yeah. Okay. Sure." She looked back to the girls. "And. So. Mother," she looked back to Mother. "May I introduce your future Daughter in Law River, and her mother – your future sister in law I guess – Amy."

"Oh my," Mother said on a long inhale. "Daughters. I have three of them now."

"Well technically, you and me are sisters," Amy countered with a shrug.

Her grin widened as she walked past Rose to appraise her new  _daughters_. "Ulysses will be thrilled. He always dreamed of having daughters to protect. Such a terribly romantic man, my husband."

Amy snickered with a look to Rose. "Guess that trait skips a generation, right?"

"Yep," Rose answered with a quiet chuckle.

"Oh, my daughters. My son is very romantic."

All three women – and even Jackie – threw back their heads and laughed.

Marissa paused and threw a stern look toward Rose. "Speaking of. Did I not ask my son to ensure that he have his father at his side upon his return."

"You did."

"And?"

Rose winked and sizzled back a coy tongue-in-teeth smile. "You said when  _he_  returns. The Doctor is still on Gallifrey."

Jackie let up an impressive single laugh.

Marissa merely dropped her head with a laugh. "It would appear that if there is one thing that you have learned from my child, it's how to find the loophole and slip through it."

"Nah," Jackie drawled. "This one's been doing that since she was a tyke. Reckon she probably taught himself how to slip through a hoop of two."

"I did no such thing," Rose argued with a laugh. She then grabbed at the sleeve of River's Cadon Tunic to tug her out of the vault. "Come on. We better grab what we came here to get before our men show up and get all rowdy."

River wasn't moving.

Rose tugged. "Come on."

"Oh, Rose," River breathed sadly.

"What?"

She followed River's gaze to the massive pool of blood on the floor that was currently being analyzed and marked for evidence by the Torchwood Forensics team. "Oh. Yeah. That's right."

River swallowed and looked to Jackie, who wore blood stains upon her clothing, and then back to the pool on the ground. It was clear to her, by the drag marks, the splatter, the foot prints, and the smears, that the scene had been horrendous. She could almost see it scene by horrific scene, the movements of the Doctor as he watched his beloved get shot down, and then his grief as he held her throughout her suffering.

She shook her head, and then looked urgently to Rose. "Is there any way we can prevent the other TARDIS from breaking into this parallel?"

"I'm not really sure," she answered. "Why?"

"If he sees this, Rose. If he sees any of this." Her look was one of desperation. "Rose. If the Doctor sees this,  _my Doctor_ , there'll be nothing that will tame his fury." Panic was very evident in her tone. "He'll make sure that  _your_  Doctor will go through all twelve regenerations inside one minute."

Rose waved her off. "Nah. He won't. I'm fine. Fit as a fiddle. It was days ago." She looked at Amy, whose eyes were locked on the bloody mess on the floor. "Right, Amy?"

Amy shook her head. "Oh Hell Rose. This'll kill him."

"Then let's do this quickly," she said hurriedly. "Before either of them have a chance to find a way here."

"Too late," River Song whispered as the telltale sound of a materializing TARDIS filled the vault. "One or both of them are already here."

The three women backed off as the Eleventh Doctor's TARDIS – a richer and more shattering shade of blue than the faded coloured machine already parked inside the vault – slowly and fully materialized. Rose held Amy and River behind her with her arms spread wide, and backed toward the door of the vault.

"Blimey," Rose hissed tightly as the door violently swung inward and her Doctor's hotly pissed off face appeared in the doorway. "We've got the Storm. Batten down those hatches, girls. We're in trouble."

Ten's eyes raked throughout the myriad of familiar faces inside the vault and then stopped and locked upon his wife. His jaw worked for just a moment as though searching for the right words, and then he stepped out of the TARDIS with Eleven following closely behind him.

"You  _stole_  my TARDIS," he ground out darkly.

Rose gave only a slight peep at the ire in his voice, but quickly shielded it behind some rather sensational false bravado. She straightened up and looked at him with a slightly arrogant stare. " _Your_  TARDIS," she snatched out. " _Yours_?"

He didn't respond much more than narrow his eyes further.

"She is as much  _mine_  as she is  _yours_ , Doctor," she growled in correction. "Probably moreso considering I'm the one who worked for a year to bring her from a chunk of coral to where she is right now. You only met her a week ago!"

His lip curled lightly and he looked about ready to completely fly off the preverbal handle. Suddenly, however, his face broke out into a grin and he opened his arms to her. "Oh, c'mere." He welcomed her into his arms and held her tightly as he giggled into her ear. "That was a very sneaky move."

"That wasn't actually my intention, but the opportunity rose and I leapt on it." She admitted as she loosely linked her hands around his neck and leaned back just slightly to look up into his face. "So you're not mad?"

"Oh," he breathed quickly. His voice remained soft and friendly. "I'm mad. Of course I am. I'm absolutely livid." He rubbed his thumbs thickly along the waistband of her Cadon uniform pants. "But I'm really not in the mood to start an argument with you. Just tell me that you won't do it again. Tell me that you're sorry."

She very innocently stuck out her bottom lip and widened her eyes in the most apologetic expression. "I'm…" Her words cut sharply at a thunderous growl from the TARDIS.

" _What_  in the name of  _Rassilon_?"

Rose squeaked. "Oh dear. Doctor, I think you might want to take your own advice."

He seemed momentarily stunned as he spun toward his brother. "Uhm.  _What_?"

"Doctor," she warned. "You might want to  _run_."

Her warning didn't come quick enough as Eleven shot through the short distance between them and hurled a blinding punch across Ten's jaw. The younger Doctor stumbled backward against the wall of the TARDIS at the strike. "What  _the_ …"

"What did you let them do to her," Eleven snarled with absolute fury as he clutched at Ten's lapels and drove him up against the side of the TARDIS. He pulled back on his lapels and drove him up against the time ship once more. "You are supposed to protect her; keep her safe. Not let  _that_  happen."

Ten didn't bother to attempt to pry his brother's hands from his blazer. He didn't even bother struggling for escape. He merely dropped his brows and curled his lips into a snarl. "Do you honestly think I didn't try everything I could to prevent this?"

"Obviously you didn't try hard enough," Eleven thundered in disgust. "I would  _never_  have allowed it to get this far."

"Oh get off me, you sanctimonious Time Lord git," Ten snapped. He shoved at Eleven to push him backward and moved out of striking range. "You were the one who took off and left her. Maybe you should have stuck around and protected her yourself if you think you're so damn good at it."

"I'll rectify that problem right here and now," he threatened. "Rose will return to the Prime Universe and will travel again with me, where I know she'll be safe."

"Safe," he scoffed. "With  _you?"_  He let up a truly sarcastic huff of a laugh. "Idiot."

"She never got shot and killed on my watch."

"You …" Any further words growled out were in a language that only two other persons in the room could possibly understand.

Rose rolled her eyes and turned back to the other girls. "Okay. Let's go to the Doctor's lab and pick up what we need."

Amy's eyes were wide and she pointed to the warring brothers. "You're not going to step in?"

"No," she answered with a laugh. She thumbed over her shoulder to where the Mother of the two men was scowling darkly with her arms folded tight across her chest. "I reckon their mother's gonna have it all in hand soon enough."

River nodded in agreement as she watched Marissa's expression morph beyond annoyance toward the siblings arguing. She now looked absolutely disgusted. "Yes. I'm inclined to agree with you on that point." She shrugged as she followed at Rose's side. "Though you have to admit it might be fun to watch their mother give them a tear down."

"Much more fun when mine does it." She grinned as they strode through the hallways of Torchwood. "If you want to see the Doctor truly cower – send in my mum."

"Actually," a male voice chipped in from behind the three ladies as they walked the corridor toward the elevator. "Pretty much any living male creature is terrified of _your_ mum, Rose."

Rose's face beamed into a thrilled grin as she launched herself into the arms of her assistant. "Spencer! Oh, I've missed you."

He had a mouth full of blonde hair, and his eyes burned with the whip of her hair, but he wore a smile as broad as hers. "Missed me? You've been gone five minutes, boss lady."

"Closer to a week," Amy corrected as she slapped the elevator button. "And because Rose is clearly too rude to introduce River and me to anyone here at Torchwood, let me. I'm Amy, this is River, we all travel with the Doctor." She smirked. "Travelling with the Doctor means that we travel in space and – this is very important to note – we also travel in  _time_." She took a deep breath. "Which means we tend to have to explain the whole five minutes for you – a week for us – thing over. And over. And over."

Spencer swiped blonde hair from his mouth and eyes and chuckled. "Got it. In other words just go with it and accept what you say without questioning it."

"Oh he's a clever one, Rose."

Spencer flicked an amused brow. "And you aren't in any way facetious at all, are you?"

"Not in the slightest." Amy winked as she stepped into the elevator. "Which floor is the Doctor's lab on?"

"Eight," Spencer answered with a fast press of the required number. "You've got to move quick, too. Hounds were released when you two got into it with the Assistant Director. I was doing what I could to cover your asses when Marcus turned all spooky Time Lord on you, but, when you and Doc got all disco mirror ball and created that TARDIS, well it set off all the alarms. You know Torchwood," he warned with a sigh. "That's technology that they  _want_ to get their hands on."

"Tough. They can't have it."

"And you know how the Board feels about someone not wanting to share their toys, Rose."

Rose gave a firm nod. "Yeah. I know. Both of the Doctors are with the TARDISes right now, so they're in safe hands."

"Doctors, as in plural? TARDISes, as in plural?"

She scratched at her hair as the elevator stopped to let them off on their floor. "Yeah-h-h-h."

"Oh that's just perfect, Rose," Spencer warned. "The Board are sniffing about. They're all on route. If they find them…"

"Then they'll have to deal with five Time Lords who are rather protective of TARDIS technology," Rose snarled as she thumbed in the access code to the Doctor's lab. "Noone will get their hands on my baby without one heck of a fight."

"Five?" he choked over a swallow. "There's five of them now?"

"Yes. Five. River. Me. Doctor. Doctor and Marissa."

"Ah. Yes. Okay. That doesn't terrify me at all."

River smiled in awe as she took in the Doctor's lab and the many benches holding all sorts of amazing alien weaponry. "Oh wow, Rose." She stroked her fingers tips along a rather impressive and large canon. "Please tell me that our Pacifist Doctor hasn't completely disabled all of these."

Rose shrugged. "I have no idea. We don't actually play together much here at Torchwood."

Spencer leaned in toward River and nodded with a displeased snort. "Something about relationships amongst colleagues or some such nonsense. Pissed me off no end that the Doc ended up working here on this floor and not with me and Rose."

"Probably a good decision," Amy noted as she stroked the surface of a bubble-shelled weapon. "From what I've seen of those two, there wouldn't be much work getting done." She made kissing sounds.

Spencer hummed curiously. "Really? Can't really say I've ever seen the two of them get all – oh how should I put it – smoochie-touchy-feely." He snorted. He tapped his chin with his index finger. "Unless, of course, we count the anniversary incident where I got to see the man in all his aroused glory wearing only his boxers, socks and Oxford."

"Impressive?" River asked with a coy lick of her lip. She shot a wink to Amy, who actually looked just as interested about the answer.

Spencer gagged. "Kept my eyes above the belt, thank you very much."

"He's very impressive, girls," Rose quipped with a smile as she settled herself on the stool in front of the Doctor's computer. "And that incident doesn't count, Spencer. It didn't happen during work hours and wasn't at the office. That was at my home where I'm supposed to get up to things like that." She grunted at the screen that popped up on the monitor. "Password protected. Of course."

River leaned over Rose's shoulder to look at the screen. "Do you have any idea what he might use?"

"Probably some Gallifreyan word I'd never guess."

"Try Gallifrey?"

"Didn't work. Neither did Rose. Or TARDIS. Or Time Lord. Or Allons-y. Arkytior didn't work either …"

"What about his name?" At Rose's swallow, River leaned across her to type in the English phonetic of the Doctor's name. She let out a disappointed breath. "No. That didn't work."

Rose twisted her head to look at River with a puzzled brow. She'd seen the letters that River had typed in. She also saw the shaking in her fingers and shoulders. "I'm going to ensure my Doctor make yours forget all about this," she promised. "I swear to you that we won't harm your time line with him."

River breathed a hard breath through her nose. "The fact that I still know his name means that our future hasn't yet changed." She smiled gratefully. "I think he needs to remember all this. It should give him the closure he needs to take that step with me. So. Please. Let him remember."

"If anything changes," she warned. " _Anything._  If you forget. Please tell me."

"How do you know that this wasn't always the path that we were all supposed to take?"

Rose swallowed hard and went back to the computer. "Maybe it is. I don't know any more." She tried to again enter a potential password. "Ugh. Don't tell me that he's a number, caps, secret handshake password kind of man."

"Nope." Pinstriped arms slipped underneath her arms and lips pressed gently against the side of her head. Long fingers quickly typed in the code. "ILoveRoseTyler," he narrated as he typed. "No spaces, first letters of each word capitalized." He slipped onto the stool to sit himself behind her, and then pulled her onto his knee. "So. You're in. Now what are you looking for, exactly?"

"I love Rose Tyler? Really?" River jabbed her finger into his shoulder in a playful shove. "You are such a sap!"

"Yep," he answered with a pop of the P and a big grin. He curled his arms around Rose's waist and let his hands rest upon her belly. "What did you need my computer for," he asked curiously as he set his chin on her shoulder. "I'm pretty sure you can access what you need on yours."

She snorted in response. "With you and him going all Neanderthal at each other? I didn't need the distraction thank you very much."

"Who won by the way?" Amy asked as she hauled a large gun up into her arms.

"Yeah. I wouldn't play around too much with that one, Amy," the Doctor warned with a nod toward the weapon. "That's a Dioxian Tracer Canon. It fires a tracer round into a target so that every bullet fired will then zero in on that target and…" He made a sound of an explosion. "Boom. It fires what is like a mini warhead that explodes on impact."

Amy gingerly set the gun back into its cradle. "Then I'm going to hope that it was designed for vehicular attacks."

"Yeah," he breathed carefully in response. "One would  _think_  so, wouldn't they?"

"So," Amy queried again. "Who won?"

"Ahh. Yes," the Doctor breathed. "Put it this way, Amy. I was sent here on a time out imposed by my mother in law. My Brother is in the vault on a time out imposed by my mother. Therefore neither man was truly the victor."

"Are you shittin' me?"

"Oh how I wish that I was," he moaned. Like a chided child, he rolled his eyes. "We are both to take a moment to think about our words and just how hurtful they can be. Never mind how hurtful a punch in the jaw can be,” he groused though a curled lip.  “I like how that was so spectacularly overlooked."

There were several snorts and snickers from the other four people in the room.

"Is she going to make you kiss and make up, or what?" Amy asked inside a chuckle.  She then shook herself and tried to look serious.  “You know.  Because that’s what I’d make my kids do if they started fightin’.”

"Rassilon, I hope not.  Of course, I wouldn't put it past her, though.  Mother did have her unique style of punishment." He narrowed his gaze at the monitor ahead of him, and then pulled out his glasses. ". Rose, why are you going through my weapons catalogue?"

"Just killing time and browsing?"

He frowned. "You're looking at all of my pending files." His frown deepened. "Rose. No. We aren't taking any live weapons on board the TARDIS to take across to the other parallel."

He leaned forward to take the mouse amd close off the files on his computer. Rose swatted him off. "If we're going to break into Eldirol to get your Dad, then we're going to want more than a hand gun or a sonic screwdriver."

The Doctor stiffened behind her. "He's where?"

"Eldirol."

"And how do you know that," he queried with a frown. "I thought that our time miscalculation made that whole trip a bust."

Rose cleared her throat rather uncomfortably. "Uhm. Rassilon told me."

"He just  _told_  you?"

"Mmhmm."

"Rose?"

She took a long breath and stared straight ahead of her. "He's being held at Eldirol. Eastern Wing. Cell block 23. Cell 4. He's roomed with two other Time Lord rebels, and two Gallireyans found guilty of murder – both of which have been tasked with keeping an eye on their nameless cellmate and reporting to the Council of any _unusual_  incidences or movements he makes." She swallowed. "He's fifty years into his seventh regeneration, and is considered dangerous enough that he has permanent shadows assigned to him at all times."

The entire lab fell silent. Every one of them silent for their own reason.

It was Amy who finally broke the silence. "When did he tell you that, Rose?" Her voice was very quiet. "I was watching you the whole time, he never said anything about that."

Rose cleared her throat and looked off to the side in a very guilty manner. "He got into my head, so I got into his." Her voice softened to a whisper. "I'm sorry, Doctor. I know how you feel about going into someone's mind without consent, but I was all wolf at the time and I had no control."

"It's okay," he breathed with a wince. He kissed at her ear and spoke softly against it.  "We'll work on that.  Together.  When this is all over.”

River leaned her elbows on the desk. "So with this new intel, Rose, do you also have a plan?"

She nodded slowly, her eyes still downcast. "Yeah. I think I have a plan." She looked up again with a mildly defeated look on her face. "But with himself here being all _no guns on my pretty little TARDIS_  mentality, we're going to have to modify it a bit."

"Oh.  _That's_  not very nice," he muttered with hurt in his tone.

"Maybe not," Amy said with a shrug. "But it's true." She raised her hands at his sharp look. "Hey. We're going into the pit with murderers and rapists and really  _really_ bad people. Some defenses might be nice, ya know?"

"You don't have to go," he answered with a slow blink of his eyes.

"Are you kidding me?" she chortled. "Wouldn't miss it." Amy waited until the Doctor looked away and then pointed out a couple of nice specimens she quite liked to Rose. " _We will, right?"_  she mouthed in question.

Rose pressed her lips together in a smile and nodded quickly.

The Doctor inhaled a deep and frustrated breath. "I saw that."

"Oh come on," Rose begged. "Give us  _something_. Your Dad's pretty messed up in there, and judging by what I saw in Rassilon's mind – he believes himself to be every bit as dangerous, faceless and nameless as the Council have made him out to be." She swallowed. "I think our absolute best shot is to have your Mother come with us. With their bond…"

"No," he snapped sharply in response. He climbed off the stool and stalked a pace between desks. "I'm not taking her to Eldirol. She doesn't need to see that."

"Oh," River countered with a slight tic in her eye. "But it's okay for us to see it, right?"

He shot her a harsh glare. "I'd prefer that none of you go, but as I will likely need support and back up it's either the women I trust with my very soul, or I take along a few cowboy Torchwood soldiers who will likely get us all killed."

The three women stood together. River smiled her flirtatious smirk. "We're the ladies of the Doctor. We're far more dangerous than a Torchwood team."

"You got that right," Rose purred.

The Doctor looked to the ceiling and called softly to his deity for assistance.

"Yeah. I'm just gonna go with what they say," Amy chipped with a smile. "Not one to do the coy and sexy dangerous thing. But I may go as far as saying  _Doctor's Angels at your service._ "

The Doctor looked between the girls, each one in a stance that was the living embodiment of the Angels described by Amy. River Song with her head held high, her chest puffed forward and her hands seated on her hips as though ready to unholster a firearm. Rose stood with her arms held tightly across her breasts, her lips pressed together enough that they were pouted in challenge to either kiss them or kiss her arse. Amy had a much more relaxed stance, her arms hung either side of her and her head tilted in such a way that it was impossible to tell if she was timidly innocent, or coyly dangerous.

Oh yes. These were definitely the Doctor's Angels. It was very tempting to revel in  _that_  fantasy for a moment.

"Okay," he acquiesced with a defeated sigh. "Let's find you something that can help you out."


	59. Time Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Momma Time Lords apply discipline in much the same manner that human mums do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three chapters in a day ... whoot whoot .... Enjoy!

Time outs.  _Really_? What kind of punishment is a time out for a thousand year-old Time Lord?

Well. Okay. It was quite possibly the most appropriate,  _really_. Who is better to time out than a _Time Lord_.

Bloody mothers. Obviously this was another one of those  _rubbish_  things that the mothers of Gallifrey managed to pass along to the mothers of other worlds. Time Out. _Really._

The Doctor who favoured tweed and bow ties stalked a pacing wander back and forth across the doorway which he supposed led into his brother's laboratory. He wrung his hands together and kept his head low as he considered his mother's advice, her warning, her instruction, and then her demand.

_"Play nice with your brother, my son. Stop with this silly argument of yours and work together to achieve your mutual goal – which is to bring your father to me."_

Silly argument, indeed.

There was nothing  _silly_  about wanting to ensure the continued safety of the single most important woman who had even been a part of his 11 regeneration cycles – or twelve if you counted …  _him_  … but no one was counting  _that_ regeneration.

He carded his hand through his hair and stopped his pacing to move to the doorway. He dropped his hand to push it open, and then let it fly back into his hair as he resumed pacing.

He  _could_  take Rose from this parallel. Absolutely he could. He could complete the mission assigned by his mother, bring his father to this parallel, and then leave the spike haired, pinstriped, egoistic meta crisis version of himself here in Pete's World.  He could take Rose back to the universe that she belonged in. She could stay in the TARDIS and travel with him. Forever. Like she promised him she would so long ago.

Oh yes.

The Doctor and Rose Tyler in the TARDIS. As it should be. Stuff of legends. Shiver and Shake. Husband and wife…

…Oh.  _Wait._

 _That_  could be tricky.

A sharp laugh from inside the lab – Rose's laugh – tore him from his pacing thoughts. A slight smile spread across his face as he let his hands pull apart and thrust one forward to push open the door. He made a show of presenting himself to the other persons in the room, his face alight with amusement.

"Hello. Did you all miss me, then?" He strode confidently into the room, although his shoulders were still slightly hunched. "Sorry I'm late. Had some things to finish up, but I'm here now."

The five occupants of the vault all looked up at him from their make-shift strategic table session over top of a bench table, and then just quickly dropped their eyes to of back to their discussion.

"Well," he muttered as he dropped his head and went right back to wringing his hands together. "One can tell when their presence isn't actually wanted." He heard one of the ladies correct that statement, but he couldn't tell which – especially when his brother's voice chirped up.

"And  _one_  will likely ignore that sense of unwelcome and stick around anyway," Ten groused. "Am I right?"

"You are," Eleven answered with a hidden smirk as he approached the table to stand beside his brother. "I've been told to get lost so many times now that I'm rather immune to the sting of it.'

"Yep," Ten chirped with a harder pop to his p than usual. "So it wouldn't hurt too much for me to say to you to sod…" He oomphed as Rose's elbow met with his midsection. "Sorry," he said with a small voice and a large wince. "Feel free to take part, my brother."

Eleven leaned slightly toward Ten. "Just to clarify. We're not anywhere close to done with this, you and me."

Ten kept his voice quiet and his eyes ahead of him. "Oh. Nowhere near close.."

"I'll get my way. I promise you," Eleven warned quietly.   He nudged at Ten with his shoulder and then stood tall with a wide smile as he looked to the grouping. "So what did I miss? What are we planning here?"

River chewed on the end of a pen and grinned around it. "We're just making plans for breaking into Eldirol to grab your dad. You're in, right?"

"I'm most definitely in," he answered smoothly. "Is he confirmed to be at Eldiron? That doesn't exactly sound like the appropriate holding facility for a man who was found guilty of messing about with off worlders."

Rose drummed her fingertips on the table and nodded. "It's confirmed, Doctor." She tapped at her temple. "I've got it all up here courtesy of Rassilon."

"Oh," he huffed in a manner that very much sounded like he spoke over a mouthful of marbles. "I see, then."

Ten leaned down over the table. He leaned on his elbows and cradled his fingers as he looked to his brother. "Short version is. We're going to pilot both TARDISes to opposite sides of the compound. We go in two teams: Me 'n Rose with River. You, Rory and Amy." He frowned. "And speaking of. Where did Rory get to?"

Eleven shrugged. "Probably asleep in the entertainment room of the TARDIS. He mentioned an X-Files marathon. Can't imagine exactly why. X-Files is rubbish. Complete rubbish."

"Oh I dunno," Spencer offered with a smirk. "It's decently entertaining. Scully's pretty hot."

"It's obvious that you work for Torchwood," Eleven muttered. "If you find cheap theatrical Alien threats to be  _entertaining_."

"I find you to be a cheap and theatrical kind of alien, and not very entertaining at all."

"Then it is a very good thing that my current aspiration is not to keep you engaged and enthralled." He looked to Rose with a smile, which faltered at her annoyed expression. "Sorry. Where were we, then?"

Rose let her eyes shift back to address the group. "While I know exactly where Ulysses is being housed, and what level of security we can expect on that side of the complex, I have absolutely no idea what else we might come up against in other areas of the facility."

"I've had the TARDIS upload what she knows about Eldirol to my workstation here," Ten continued. "And while she's a smart girl, even she doesn't have intimate enough knowledge to have us completely apprised of what we're walking into in terms of security detail and who is housed where."

"But do we know where the eyes are?" River queried as she leaned down on the table in a mirror of Ten's lean. "So we can at least keep them blind to our movements?"

Rose nodded. "The TARDIS has snuck her way through as many systems as she can to pull up the most current information about the facility. She's pulled some fairly recent schematics from the new security firm that was tasked with refitting the entire facility, so we are in pretty good standing to be able to bypass the nasties that could put us in some trouble."

"And we don't need nasties," Ten breathed on a long breath. "Honestly, I don't know exactly what'll come about with him 'n me," he thumbed to his brother. "Getting caught breaking into a Time Lord containment facility with two Earth-Born Time Lords and two Humans to break out a man who is in the place because he  _was_ swanning about with humans…"

Rose smiled as she stroked his arm in reassurance. "We'll be fine, Doctor. We do best when the odds are the worst."

She smiled with that tongue-in-teeth smile that drove him mad. He rushed up to snatch that pesky tongue in between his lips, but only managed to graze his lips against her cheek as she turned to speak to the others. He growled lightly against her skin, and then grunted as his brother snatched at the collar of his blazer and yanked him to a stand.

"Would you care to focus?"

"Oh," he chuffed. "I'm  _very_  focused, thank you."

"Anyway," Rose growled out in a tone full of warning to both men. "The TARDIS has shared the schematics with her sister, as well as made sure to share any other information she feels will assist. We have identical intelligence on both machines, and we need to make sure that we take the time to look through everything fairly thoroughly if we expect to make it through this easy enough."

Amy was gnawing on her thumbnail. "So do we even know what he looks like?" She let her eyes fall on the two Doctors. "I want to think that you'd know him immediately, you know, being your dad and all. But with all of the regeneration things that you lot do, I'm going to guess that picking him out of a line up might be a little more difficult than any of us think it is."

Ten nodded. "He was in his third regeneration the last time I saw him. Good looking bloke," he straightened his tie with a grin. "Obviously where I got my devilishly good looks from." His brother snorted and Ten rolled his eyes upward. "Anyway. Rose just told us that he's in his seventh regeneration right now, so chances are we won't pick him out of the crowd with much ease."

Eleven had to agree. "We can't even recognize our own regenerations. We can't be expected to be able to identify him easily." He looked past Ten to settle his eyes on Rose. "Do you have any idea what he looks like right now?"

She nodded slowly. "Big. I know he's a  _big_  boy. Solid. Like a soldier. Ruggedly handsome with sandy blonde hair in need of a cut, blue eyes, sharp jaw."

"That's been a constant in his regenerations," Ten gruffed. "I end up Geek, he ends up burly soldier."

"Oh, you're gorgeous," Rose assured with a kiss against his cheek. "All of your regenerations. _Well_. Maybe with exception to your second, with the bowl-cut hair and the recorder…"

Amy and River's attentions were caught at that. Amy was amused. "Please tell me you have photographic evidence. Please."

Rose grinned. "Just ask the TARDIS. She'll happily show you photos of all of his regens."

Eleven winced. "Please don't." He cleared his throat. "Can we get back to it, please? I'm very eager to get this whole thing done so we can all return to the lives that we _should_  be living." He cast a glance toward his brother. "Get back to the paths that we are supposed to be taking."

Ten glared at him. "Anyway."

"Yeah," River agreed. "Back to it. So it's Pinstripes, Rose and me in the baby TARDIS. Rory, Amy and Bowtie in the other TARDIS." She giggled into her hand. "I'm going to miss making the distinctions between you two."

"Thanks, River," Eleven muttered on a sigh.

"So we're landing North and South," Rose added. "We land, North. You guys on the Southern side. The Doctor has provided us with some weapons that…"

"Oh hold on," Eleven growled. "Weapons? I don't agree with that. What are you thinking? If any one of you get overpowered by one of those criminals, then you'll give them what they need to get out of there and create absolute mayhem."

"Gimme some credit," Ten breathed with a roll of his eyes. "None of the weapons are deadly. In fact they'll do little more than drop a man to his knees for enough time for the girls to get distance." He scratched at a sideburn. "Our girls are good enough that they probably won't even use them. These are last resort weapons that I've chosen for the girls. Nothing to worry about."

"Are you very sure about that?"

"I'm not a complete idiot."

"Are you quite sure about that?"

Amy rolled her eyes. "Before we have to separate the boys and time them out again, do we think we're good for this?" She passed her eyes across all present. "Are we ready?"

"I'd prefer we took the time to have a sleep first," Rose answered with a high stretch. "But. Yeah. I'm good to get going now if you want."

Ten frowned. "Rest period might be a good idea, you know." He looked to Eleven. "River and Rose did just spend an entire day at Cadon, and it wasn't exactly an easy day for either of them."

"They also did it hungover," Amy added with a yawn. "You know, if that'll support a little bit of down time prior to mischief and mayhem by team Doctor."

"You're looking a little beat up yourself, Amy," Ten said with a sympathetic smile. He looked back to Eleven. "Look. I know you're eager to get up and out of here to get me out of your hair, but the girls need some rest. We can materialize the TARDISes at our house, have a decent home cooked meal, a shower and some sleep. We can take off in the morning."

"I don't think…"

"I think it's a great idea," Amy interrupted. "Spend some time with your mum, Doctor," she suggested. "It's been a while."

He dropped his head and nodded. He couldn't deny that he wanted to spend some time with her. In over a century of believing that he was the last of his kind, and therefore feeling he was the loneliest man in the universe, to know that his mother was alive … yeah … he wanted to spend some time with her.

"I think I'd like that," he admitted. He let his eyes lift to his brother. "Does she live with you, then?"

"She does." He smiled toward his wife. "Rose was very insistent on it. And we have plenty of room, considering we purchased with kids in mind." He let out an apologetic breath as he stroked her hair and then cupped her cheek. "And I promise you we'll find a way, Rose. We will."

She leaned in to his touch and smiled as she covered his hand in hers. "It's okay. As long as I have you, Doctor," she said along a sigh. "All I need is you."

"I promise you we'll look at options."

She looked to him with lightly watering eyes. "You said we can loom, right? We can look at that."

He pulled her against his side and nodded against her hair. "Just tell me when, and I'll tell the TARDIS to take us there."

"I love you, Doctor."

"I love you more," he answered with a smile. He then inhaled a deep breath and pushed himself to a stand. "Right-oh. Come on then. Let's get ourselves out of Torchwood and head back to Rose and my place. Maybe I'll fire up the barbecue and throw a couple of steaks on."

Eleven raised a brow. "You barbecue, now?"

Ten grinned. "Yep. Great things, barbecues. Terrific social event that works so much more efficiently than a dinner party." He held his hand out to help Rose to her feet. "Did you know that it's the men that gather around the barbecue and cook the meat? It's a social convention all of its very own. Brilliant."

"It's awfully  _domestic_."

"And I  _love_  it," Ten grinned. "Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant."

~~oooOOOooo~~

The five time travelers reentered Rose and Spencer's laboratory with smiles and laughter as the girls teased about seeing any one of the Doctors wearing shorts and thongs and flipping steaks on the barbecue. Marissa and Jackie were thrilled to see that the lads were getting along, and that it seemed as though they would not be leaving straight away.

"Tell me good news, Sweetheart," Jackie said by way of greeting as they entered the lab. "Tell me that you and himself are going to stay around for a day or two."

Ten winked as Rose separated from him to kiss her mother on the cheek. "The Doctor wants to have a barbecue and let us all relax for the night before we head back to Gallifrey to get Father." She smiled. "Do you and Dad want to come along?"

"Does a bear shit in the woods? Of course I do." Jackie's face was alight. "I'll get hold of your father now. We'll meet at your house in an hour?" She levelled Eleven with a hard glare. "And don't you think about not showing up, Doctor. If I get there and you've gone and swanned off and are hiding in your TARDIS, I will find my way through the walls of the Universe to give you a good slap."

"I'm not going anywhere," he assured with a smile and a drop of his head. "I imagine I'll be seeing much more of you in the future, so I'd better make nice with you now."

Jackie gave him a suspicious look, but quickly shrugged it off and gave him a hug. "It's good to see you again, Sweetheart. You're always welcome here, you know that."

"Thanks, Jackie." He looked back to the group and scratched at his hair. "So. We're taking the TARDISes to your place, Rose. As I don't quite know where you live, did you want to take a ride in the old girl and show me where to go?" He patted the wood with solid slaps. "I know she misses you."

"Oh and I miss the moody old girl, too," she answered affectionately. "But it's okay, you can just follow us. We'll get you there okay." She giggled as Ten's arms circled her waist from behind and he made a rather pointed show of nuzzling his nose against her ear. "I need to get there first anyway and make sure the place isn't a mess."

Ten locked eyes with Eleven. "Mother knows where we live, Bow Tie. She's also a damn decent TARDIS pilot. Let her take you there." He tightened his hold on Rose's waist. "It'll give me 'n Rose a bit of alone time."

Rose moaned a long suffering groan and wriggled free of her Doctor. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "As we've seen," she teased as she walked backward toward the blue box. "There is no such thing as being  _alone_  in our TARDIS. Eyes. Everywhere. Tutting at our behavior.'

"Then we have to desensitize her. Simple."

He frowned as he glared toward Ten, but slid a look to his mother. "Did you want to fly with us, then, Mother?"

Marissa looked thrilled by the prospect. "I would very much like that, my son. I cannot wait to see just what changes you've made to your ship after all these years."

"Always for the better," he boasted. "And she's never looked so good."

Ten snorted. "Bit too sterile and inorganic for my liking." He scooped Rose's hand in his as she moved to walk past him, and tugged her back toward him. "But whatever you fancy."

"Yes. Indeed." He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "So. Let's get out of here, then." He looked around with distaste. "I never did like this organization. Especially after Canary Wharf."

Rose blinked at that. Ten growled low inside his throat. "So. Anyway."

"Yes. Anyway."

Rose raked her eyes between the two men. "Okay. What's going on with you two?"

"Pissing contest," Ten answered swiftly.

"So couth, brother. And in the presence of ladies."

"You included?"

"Wow, how so very mature of you," Rose muttered with a tired look toward River Song. "You've still got time to back out, River. I'm stuck with this one now." She slumped and moaned loudly. "Forever. I have to spend my eternity with a 900 year old child."

Ten laughed and pulled her up against him. "Oh you love me, brat kid and all." He pressed his lips against hers for a lengthy, but gentle kiss. He smiled as they separated, and then licked at his lips.

His smile fell slightly and his brows knitted together. "Hold on a minute." He snapped her back to him and pressed his mouth against hers once more, this time swiping the tip of his tongue across the seam between her lips in an exploratory manner. He pulled back again, and licked at his lips.

Rose gave him a look to suggest he was going slightly mad. "You okay, Doctor?"

He frowned and shook his head as he drew her close to him yet again. This time when his lips crashed over hers, his tongue demanded entrance to her mouth. She gasped, which gave him access, and he tasted her fully. It lasted a mere couple of seconds before he pulled off her mouth with a sucking pop.

"Okay, Doctor," Rose said with a clearing of her throat. "In case you're not totally clear on this, we're at Torchwood, and displays of affection such as what …" She squeaked when he took her hand in his raised it to his mouth, and dragged the length of his tongue along her wrist.

She snatched her hand away and wiped it against her tunic. "What's gotten into you?"

"You taste different," he answered slowly. There was confusion, and possibly some level of frustrated annoyance in his voice. "And I don't know what it is that's making you taste that way."

"Well," she answered back. "I hope it's a good different, then."

"Yes. Yes. Of course." He forced a smile. "Everything is good with you."

She pointed to the TARDIS. "Shall we?"

He watched her as she walked into the TARDIS and slouched as he thrust his hands deeply into his trouser pockets. He licked at his lips again and tapped his foot on the ground as he analyzed what could be so different.

Rose poked her head out of the TARDIS doors, and then slid her body around the door. "Well?" She asked with a huff. "Are you coming, or what?"

He nodded quickly as he let his eyes shift from the crown of her beautiful head and pass slowly lower until his gaze paused at her belly. There was the very slightest of tics in the shift of his head as a possibility entered his mind. He quickly shook it off.

"Nah. Impossible," he huffed to himself.

"Doctor? Any time now?"

"Coming," he called as he leapt himself into a jog toward the entrance of the TARDIS. He tipped his fingers to his temple in a very loose and lazy salute to the pilot of the second TARDIS. "See you at my place in a few minutes. Tell mother to land her in the back yard. Mrs. Braithwaite next door is a bit of a nosey one, and I think we'd probably give her a heart attack if she watched us Materialize in the front yard."


	60. A Daughter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ten and Eleven hash it out a little, and Marissa has some news for her son.

_Starry starry night. Paint your pallet blue and grey, look out on a Summer's Day, with eyes that know the darkness in my soul…_

A smile spread across his youthful face as he stood at the very edge of the patio and looked up into the night sky. The smattering of stars glimmering through the white hazing wash of the Milky Way Galactic Plane were visible inside this parallel. So visible. Nowhere in the busy city of London, in any of her suburbs, could the night sky be so brilliant back on his side of the wall. Light pollution had long ago torn that image from the people. He knew that there were millions in that city – and all across the world – who would never see a sky so brilliant.

It was no wonder to him that Rose and her Torchwood team were the ones to notice the stars disappearing. They have a perfectly unhindered view upon the entire universe…

…Or at least Rose and the Doctor did from their expansive second storey wrap around patio.

He let his eyes drift to the French doors that led to the bedroom of Rose and his brother. Right now, the doors were closed and silent. Two hours earlier, they had been open to gift the night sky with the sights and sounds of their tender lovemaking.

Oh, he hadn't intended to be witness to any part of that. He had only stood upon the deck to watch the moon rise over the trees. He certainly didn't expect the pair to  _want_  to have their naked bodies bathed in moonlight as they made love. He had absolutely zero desire within him at all to want to witness the sheer intensity of their bond as they came together.

He had skipped from foot to foot and flailed his long arms in utter distressed panic as the lovers fell into their passionate embrace against the doorway. He had to escape and found himself reduced to sliding down the drainpipe of the home to finally get away from it. Of course, that solution didn't come to him until he saw for himself just how intense the love between them was. Or more importantly, the depth of the feelings which his brother felt for his beautiful Rose.

Why in Rassilon was he so obsessed with thinking about trying to take her away from him? He didn't understand it at all. Yes. He loved her – very very much so – and he wanted nothing more than to ensure that she was safe. He was ready to snatch her away and lock her inside the TARDIS for all eternity. He wanted to throw into Hell what or who she wanted or who it would hurt along the way.  He wanted to make sure that she was safe …

But he couldn’t do that, now.  A selfish ass though he may be, he wasn't cruel.

He didn't get it. He didn't get it at all. And that was his quandary as he stood on the patio in the darkest part of night waiting for dawn's lips to kiss upon the land. He kept his eyes on the lowest constellations to accurately determine just how far away the light was going to break and his companions would rouse from their sleep.  The sooner he could escape this parallel and leave his meta crisis self and Rose the better.

Walk away, Doctor.  Walk away and forget about them …

A rather gruff and sleepy voice croaked out from behind him.  "Trouble sleeping, brother?"

He dropped his head to look down his shoulder to acknowledge the arrival of his meta crisis self, and then gave a brief nod of his head. "I slept at Kasterborous," he muttered. He looked back out to the stars.  "That’s more than enough sleep for this cycle."

Ten strode up to the railing and thrust a mug of tea against his brother's chest. "The trouble with Human companions," he muttered with a grin.

Eleven smirked as he tested the temperature of the tea with the touch of his top lip. "Yet we keep dragging humans with us."

"They're an amazing species."

Eleven swallowed a deep draw on the tea and looked at the steam rising over the cup as though it was the single most compelling sight he'd ever seen. "I've had a lot of time to consider just why that is."

"Oh, and what did you finally come up with?"

"Many. Many reasons, actually." One side of his mouth twisted up in a smirk. "The least of which being their capacity for love and devotion. "

"That's an added benefit," Ten responded with a grin and a wink.

Eleven dropped his head and chuckled. He let his eyes rise to his brother. "If I was to say what it is that truly draws me to the human race, I would have to cite that it's their raw and unbridled passion for life. Their hunger to learn and their appetite to experience anything and everything."  He let out a long breath.  “So much to do and such a short life to do it all in.”

"They're brilliant," Ten continued. "I've learned more, and lived more, in a handful of years travelling with humans than I ever learned in my century at Cadon." He held up a hand to his brother, who immediately slapped at it in a high five.

"I couldn't agree more, Brother."

Silence fell on them both as they quietly looked up to the stars and drank on their tea. The only sounds shared were the occasional slurp over the edge of a mug, and the gulping swallow of tea.

It was a goof fifteen minutes before Ten spoke up. "If you tell anyone alive that I said this, I'll vehemently deny it."

Eleven let a brow rise high and turned toward his brother. "What's that?"

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry? For what, exactly?"

He let out a breath and swallowed. His eyes were still on the horizon. "For everything, really. For screwing up on the crucible. For committing genocide on the Daleks. For forcing you to leave Rose here in Pete's World, even though I knew damn well it almost destroyed you…"

"Not  _almost_ ," he corrected. "It _Completely_ destroyed me _._  Leaving her, and then losing Donna all inside of an hour..” He winced as he thought about his last few months inside his Tenth regeneration. "I barely made it to this  _me_  in one piece."

"I'm sorry."

Eleven raised his head high to give a laugh along an exhale. "Looks like we both need to issue apology," he admitted. "I shouldn't have just dumped the two of you here, with nothing, and just took off like that." He dropped his head. "You loved Donna as much as I did, and it wasn't fair of me to rip you away from her just like that with nothing to tell you what I had to do to save her."

"I had a fair idea." He smirked on one side of his mouth. "I am _you_  after all. Wasn't too hard to work out."

"Still."

"Yeah. I know."

Ten turned to look directly at his brother. His voice was small and slightly broken. "Please don't take her away from me."

"Is that what your heartfelt apology is all about?"

Ten shook his head and looked back to the horizon. "Party. Maybe. No. Perhaps." Ha scraped his hand down his face. "I don't know. Yeah."

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't."

"Because I won't survive without her," he answered rather dramatically. "I need her, Brother. She 'n me. We're meant to be, ya know?"

"I know."

"Then why?" he implored. "Why are you so intent on making sure that she goes back to the Prime Universe with you? And don't give me that shit about making sure she's safe; because she's as safe with me as she would be with you."

Eleven considered that for a moment. "Do you want me to be completely honest with you?"

"It's preferred."

Eleven shrugged. "I honestly don't know, myself." He looked toward Ten with a crease in his brow. "I don't know what it is. I don't know why. It's like all of a sudden I have this obsessive compulsive need to take her to me and make sure she's protected." He winced. "It's this all-encompassing desperation to do it." He scratched at his hair. "Add to that a burning jealousy and need to clock you one every time I look at you…"

"Yeah," Ten muttered as he rubbed at his jaw in remembrance of the strike in the vault. "I had to admit that one caught me off guard. Throughout ten regenerations I'd never felt particularly inclined to punch anyone."

"I guess you figured it was a quirk of the new body?"

"Yep."

He shook his head. "No. It isn't. I was as shocked by that as you were, to be honest."

"Which means you apologise for doing it, yeah?"

"Absolutely not," he answered quickly, but with a smile. "Been wanting to do that since our third regeneration. Remember how much two pissed us off when those bastard Time Lords thought it as a good idea to team us up with ourselves?"

Ten snickered. "Yeah."

"Still," Eleven said softly. "I wish I had an answer for you on that."

"I think I can help with that," their mother cooed softly from behind them. She stood quietly and waited for both of her sons to turn to face her before continuing. Once she was sure that she had their rapt attention, she spoke again. "It's hormonal."

Both men shared a doubtful look between them. Ten looked back at his mother first. "Meaning  _what_ , exactly?"

Eleven definitely agreed with the doubt lacing his brother's tone. "Yes. It isn't like we are human females experiencing their monthly hormonal swings."

"Lovely," Ten chuckled. "You didn't exactly learn too much from your travels with human females to  _not_  mention that, did you?"

"Are my words erroneous, though?"

"Oh, not at all," he chuckled in reply. "Not. At. All."

Marissa looked unimpressed with her sons. "Are you both finished mocking the women of this fine planet?" They nodded, so she continued with her eyes on the younger of the two men. "My son. For the first time in many millennia, a child of Gallifrey calls to her father from the womb."

"Excuse me?"

Marissa smiled. "I thought that by now you would have determined this by yourself – being the clever boy that you are – but as you seem to be missing what is so obvious…"

"Rose is pregnant?" Eleven asked with considerable shock. He then screwed up his face and waved his hand in the air. He then circled one hand over his belly and thumbed toward Ten.  "As in carrying _this idiot’s_ child?"

"No.  No.  No no no no,” Ten peppered out quickly with a shake in his head and a frown on his face.  “It's impossible for me to get her pregnant.  A Time Lord pairing is barren. It has been that way for … Well … for pretty much ever, _really_.”

Marissa smiled widely. "But it has happened, my son." Her thrill was clear. "Your child is reaching out for you to acknowledge her."

Ten's brow was tightly drawn together in a frown of confusion. "With all due respect, Mother. I think you might be mistaken. The Pythian curse put upon Gallifrey…"

"Is obviously not applicable to you and your wife." She wore a grin. "Perhaps this is because she is an Earth-born Time Lord." She looked expectantly between her sons and actually found herself to be slightly disappointed that they both looked incredibly confused. She shook her head and let out a breath. "Of course. The curse and Gallifrey's barrenness happened before your looming, and therefore you would not have been taught to be able to read the typical signs of an expectant Gallifreyan woman."

"Yeah," Ten squeaked. "You might say that."

"Well my son," she began slowly as she walked to stand in between both men against the railing. "You mentioned this evening before you left Torchwood that your wife had a different taste than she had normally. Not an unpleasant one, but different."

He rubbed at the back of his neck and nodded. "Yeah. That's not so unusual, though. Her taste does tend to differ throughout the month, or when she's stressed out or scared."

"But it was enough of a change that you felt you had to mention it." She looked to her other son. "You displayed irrational desperation to ensure her safety, even going so far as to attack your brother and threaten him that you would take her from him."

"I'm not part of the equation, though," he defended. "I didn't get her pregnant. _He_ did."

"You and your brother are the one man, with the same telepathic signal," she corrected smoothly. "The little one can’t distinguish between you, and so by reaching out to her father she’s calling out to the both of you."

"But our bond," Ten queried in reference to the marital bond between he and Rose. "Couldn't she use that to find me? And. And … I'm having a daughter?"

"She can't access that bond. It's for you and your wife only," Marissa answered softly. "And. Yes. The unborn is female." She put her hands on the railing and looked longingly across the forest behind the Tyler home. "Rose doesn't know her condition. Not yet. It happened less than twenty four hours ago."

"Oh," Ten said with a guilty lick of his lip. "Lungbarrow Loom. Yeah."

"You desecrated the loom," Eleven barked incredulously. He frowned as Ten sheepishly dropped his head and rubbed at the back of his neck. "It wasn't enough that the TARDIS booted you out for it, you had to go and … oh … why am I even bothering?"

"Given half the chance you would too."

"Not that I'd admit out loud in front of our _mother_."

Marissa leaned back enough so that she could slap both men against their ears at a simultaneous moment. "Both of you. _Enough_."

They each had the courtesy to wince, yelp, and promise to behave like grown Time Lords and not hormonal teenage boys. "Sorry, Mother," Ten managed.

"The method is something best left between you and your beloved, my Son. I don't particularly wish to hear about the when and where of things." Her eyes lifted high. "Rassilon knows it is clear enough when you are both home."

Ten was honestly apologetic. "I'm very sorry, Mother." He leaned his elbows down on the railing, which stooped him deeply forward. "So. Pregnant.  _Well_. This  _is_  something, isn’t it?"

"And are you thrilled, my child?"

"Oh yes," he breathed through a toothy grin. "I'm ready for this. I'm so ready."

"Ready for what," Rose asked sleepily as she strode through the French doors and rubbed at her eyes with her fist. She stretched her arms high over her head, which drew up her short sleeper shirt up over her belly and only a dangerously short distance from lifting off her breasts completely. "And why are you all up at this ungodly hour?"

"Good morning, Starshine," Eleven greeted with exaggerated chirpiness. "You look absolutely gorgeous first thing in the morning, all knotted hair, bags under the eyes and drool stains on your cheeks and all."

"If you don't have a steaming mug of tea for me when you make comments like that then my only response is to…" She kissed the fingers of her hand and then slapped it on her butt. "You can kiss my butt because I hate you."

"I'm truly hurt by that."

"Liar," she snapped as she snatched his mug from him and drew back deeply on it. She held it up to him and backed off a few steps. "Mine now."

"I spat in that, you know."

"Mmmm," she hummed as she took another draw and then swallowed with a moan of pleasure. "Added Time Lord protein."

Eleven had to laugh and shake his head, as did Marissa. Ten, however, he remained silent with an unreadable expression as his eyes obtained missile lock with her belly. Rose noted his look and tugged down on her shirt. "You okay, Doctor?"

"Oh. Very," he breathed hoarsely as he pushed himself from the railing and moved two fast steps toward her. "So very okay. Better than okay. I'm in a place called truly thrilled and content. I'm happy to be alive."

She gave him a highly suspicious look. “I think my sarcasm detector is somewhat offline, because I can’t quite tell if you’re being facetious or not.”  She leaned around him to look to Marissa. "Is he in time out again and you've advised him to be all happy happy joy joy?"

Marissa shook her head, but chuckled lightly into her hand. "No, daughter. I did not."

She took herself out of her lean and lifted herself to her toes to look Ten in the eye. "Are you sure that you're okay?

Ten hooked his arm around her waist to settle his hand on the small of her back and rushed forward to give her a chaste kiss on her mouth. "Very fine," he assured as he dropped himself to a knee in front of her. He put his other hand on her belly and then leaned his forehead on the soft skin beside it. He spoke softly against her belly in his native tongue, not acknowledging her confusion even when she rubbed at his head to try and get his attention.

Finally she looked up to his mother. "What's he doing?"

Marissa wiped at a tear in the corner of her eye and nestled into her son's side as Eleven spread his arm across her shoulder. "My sweet child. He's introducing himself to your daughter."

Rose stiffened as quickly as the gasp that escaped through her lips. "What?"

"Our child," Ten whispered as he let his head rise to look up at her. "Rose. We're pregnant."

"But. But I thought you said that was impossible," she squeaked out. Her hands absently went to cover over her belly in front of his face. "We can't be."

"We are," he assured. He drew himself to a stand and cupped her face with both hands. He studied her expression closely. "Are you okay with that?"

"Uhm. Y-Y-Yeah," she stuttered quickly. "Of. Of course I am."

His eyes widened in fright. "Oh no. You're not, are you?"

She nodded quickly. "Yes. Yes, I am. Of course I am." She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him hard on the mouth. "It. It's just a shock, that's all. I wasn't expecting you to say  _that_  of all things." She looked to Marissa. "That's what you meant when you asked me if  _he knew_ , wasn't it?"

"Yes, Daughter."

Rose's eyes were wide as she nodded quickly. "Yes. Okay. Great. I mean, fantastic." She thumbed to her room and faked a yawn. "I'm a little tired. I think I might head back to bed." She kissed Ten's cheek. "I'll see you in the morning, yeah?"

"I'll be here," he assured with a frown of confusion. "Right here." He caught her hand before she made it too far away from him. "I love you, Rose."

Her face broke into a genuine grin. "I love you too, Doctor." Her thumb stroked at his. "I'm happy about this. I am."

"Me too," he said softly, shielding the light fear in his voice. "Very much so."

They watched her leave the patio in silence. Ten's eyes were wide as he watched the doors to their room close behind her. "She just needs time, right?" He looked to his mother. "Right?"

Marissa stared at her son in silence for a moment in wait for him to make the decision to follow his wife into their room to discuss this new revelation and what it was going to mean to them both. She waited for him to move. She tapped her foot on the ground. She looked up with a look of question to her other child.

Eleven rolled his eyes and looked at the hunched back of his brother. "Well," he asked finally in a voice a little sharper than intended. "What are you waiting for?"

Ten looked back. "Pardon me?"

"What are you waiting for, you daft git? Go after her." He pointed to the door. "Don't just stand there. You need to go to her and talk this out."

"Right. Yes. That's right." He waved a hand of thanks. "I'll. Uh. I'll see you both in the morning."

Marissa shook her head in wonder as Ten carefully opened the doors leading from the patio into his bedroom. She waited until he slipped between them and then closed them quietly behind him to speak up.

"He might have an IQ that is unsurpassed by any other. He may be able to strategize and stop entire armies on their heads without a second thought…"

"But in matters of the heart, he's a useless idiot," Eleven finished with a chuckle.

"A trait shared by you both," she admonished lightly. "What  _will_  your father say?"

"We'll find out tomorrow, won't we?" He cleared his throat and gestured toward the doors with a jut of his chin. "They'll be okay, yeah?"

Marissa smiled warmly and hugged her son. "They'll have several children over many centuries together. They're going to be more than fine."

"Several? Oh. Good for them." He licked at his lip. "And me? What do you see for me?"

Marissa chuckled. "Oh. My son.  _Spoilers._ "


	61. A Threat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tentoo goes to snuggle and chat with Rose ... a Threat is made...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huh ... I didn't know that this hadn't been posted ... it was sitting there as a draft for HOW LONG NOW?!

Rose was well aware of the slight shaking of all of the muscles in her body. It wasn't the shake of terror, nor the full body, teeth chattering, rumbling shake that she usually succumbed to when she found herself outside and under dressed in the middle of Winter. No, she shuddered more than shook. The kind of shudder that was brought on by ghosting whispers inside a darkened room. One that made her hug herself tightly and seek refuge under the safe confines of her duvet…

_Safety under the blanket._  Just how did a child – or anyone for that matter – arrive at the conclusion that a feather-filled blanket was adequate protection against anything that would go  _bump_ in the night? In Rose's rapidly developing experience, she found that nothing that went bump, boom, howl or crash in the night would be in any way deterred by a blanket.

Well, unless you wanted it to sneeze to defeat…

"Defeat by goose down," she muttered blandly to herself as she pulled the blanket over her head and stretched out on her back on the bed. "I wonder if I could add that to the repertoire of Torchwood defenses."

There was a fluffing of the duvet to her right side, and then a dip in the mattress. It wasn't too long until the Doctor's head emerged under the duvet also. "Hey," he said quietly in greeting.

Rose kept her face looking up into the duvet. The tightly pulled blanket pressed down on her nose to muffle her words just slightly. "Your response time is improving."

He shifted using his shoulders and hips to edge closer to her on the mattress until his chin was on her shoulder and his nose only a couple of inches from her ear. "How do you mean?"

She didn't turn her head. "Your response to  _Rose in emotional crisis_ ," she answered with a smile. "Usually I'm left to stew and get madder and madder, or sadder and sadder, until I finally break and come to you."

"Not this time," he whispered. "Not any time from here on out."

She had to laugh at that. She pushed the blanket from her face and heavily flipped onto her right side. She folded her arms across her chest in a typically defensive manner and pressed the tip of her nose against his to regard him carefully. "This will be a one-off incident. Bet you five quid."

He ran his hand over her tightly locked elbow. "Why are you shielding yourself from me?"

Oh. Straight to it, then. No banter to help her relax a little first.

She swallowed hard and tightened the hold of the cross in her arms. "I'm not," she squeaked.

He made a show of looking at where she held herself tightly and then looked back to her. Although his head was on his pillow, he dropped it from her gaze. In a slow move, he lifted his arm to thread it under the pillow and under his head. "I'm sorry."

"For what," she pressed lightly.

He gave a rueful smile, and dropped his head again. "Well. For being wrong and then for putting you in your current condition."

"By  _condition_ , you mean knocked up."

"Yeah."

"Are you  _sure_ ," she managed on a croaked voice. "And I mean  _absolutely_  sure that we're expecting?"

He reached his hand forward to gently touch at her belly. His smile was wide and genuine as he watched his thumb trace a back and forth stroke across her navel. "Yeah."

She watched the crinkle in his eye as his smile reached every part of his face. With a swallow she let her hand escape the fold of her arms to lift his head. She needed to see his eyes. "Promise me," she begged urgently. "Promise me we are. That we definitely have our child in there and that it's not just a slim chance that we could be." She inhaled a shaking breath. "I don't want to be a victim of another false alarm."

He seemed genuinely shocked by that. "What do you mean, Rose?  _Another_  false alarm?"

"Two months ago," she admitted softly. "I was late. A week, closer to ten days." Her voice was shaking. "And I thought. You know. I honestly thought that we might be, you know."

"But you never said anything."

She shook her head and closed her eyes over her tears. "I wanted to make sure before I said anything. I know you were keen." She opened her eyes to look at him again. "I mean, you wouldn't have tested our compatibility if you weren't."

His hearts practically stopped at the pain in her voice. "Oh. Rose…"

"And I was thrilled. I was. When I thought I could give you that journey. The one you could finally have. I was so excited." She slapped her tongue against the dry roof of her mouth. "And the test came back negative. I was disappointed. Heart broken. I had medical at Torchwood look into it, and they said they found anomalies. They weren't real specific on just  _what_  anomalies they were, but it was something about the time travel and the cross between dimensions."

"You should have said something."

"How could I, Doctor?" she sniffed. "How could I tell you that I couldn't give you the full human experience?" A tear leaked from the very edge of her eye. "My God.  _I_ couldn't even have that experience."

A very brief frown crossed his features as he took in her concerns. His expression very quickly relaxed into understanding as the light bulb went off. He didn't waste time in bringing his hand to her face to stroke his hand across her cheek. "Is  _that_  what has you upset, Rose? That you think this might  _not_  be happening?"

She nodded, but it was all she could do to respond.

"Then I promise you," he assured with a gentle smile. "I promise you that we've found the loophole in both the Torchwood diagnosis and the Pythian curse of Gallifrey." The gentle smile stretched to a gleeful one. "A daughter, Rose. We're having a daughter."

"Promise me?"

"Oh. I promise you." He closed the distance between them to kiss at the tear on her cheek. "I've already made my introduction. We've met. She's already beautiful like her mother. So beautiful. And she's going to be brilliant."

"The start of the rebuilding of the Time Lords, yeah?"

"Oh yes," he breathed with his typical manic grin and tic of his head. "Although, technically, our children would be Gallifreyan, not Time Lord. I could say Human/Gallifreyan, but you're fully Time Lord now, so none of your Human DNA would be passed to her. But. Full Gallifreyan is good. Very good. Just like you and me, and my Mother, who was Human by the way." His brows creased as he autonomously shifted into lecture mode. He rolled onto his back and cradled his fingers on his belly. "Our children would have the accelerated healing capabilities and he potential to hold a Time Lord consciousness as do all other Gallifreyans. She'll be telepathic – you know, because we  _are_  a telepathic species. She won't be able to regenerate like you and I, and she won't have two hearts and a respiratory bypass, but her life span will be far greater than if she were human. Two centuries. Three on average. Maybe more if she doesn't end up as jeopardy-friendly as her mother."

Rose slid her arm underneath her pillow and took a moment just to watch him as he spoke.

"Becoming an actual Time Lord is a very long and drawn out process. Very pompous. Very boring. Very  _not_  what I would like my daughter to have to endure." He passed a look to her. "A full century at Cadon. Could you imagine?" He looked back to the ceiling. " _Wel-l-l_. With Gallifrey gone, and no Council to award her the rights and regenerations of a Time Lord, she couldn't anyway."

He rolled fully onto his side and settled one hand on her waist as he continued. "She won't have a Time Lord consciousness, which is a little hearts breaking, but I'll be sure to impart as much as I know to maybe help her become a Time Lord in her own right."

"Will she babble as much as you do?"

"Well," he began seriously. "It's been a consistent in all of my regenerations, so quite likely, yes." He inhaled deeply, enough to lift his chest almost to his chin. "So genetics might suggest that's a yes. And then,  _well_ , then we have your mother's gob to add to the basket." He giggled a childish laugh as she slapped his chest. "Come on. Tell me I'm lying."

Rose broke out into a wide grin. "I wish I could."

"Ah-ha," he teased. "Mix in my gob and your mum's and you're completely done for."

She thrust forward her arms and fisted his t-shirt to pull him closer to her. "So. You're okay with this, Doctor? You're ready?"

"I'm 904 years old," he answered with a chuckle. "If I'm not ready now I never will be." He caught her around the waist as she rolled her eyes and pulled away from him. "Come on, Rose. I'm only playing. Of course I'm okay with this. More than okay. I'm thrilled!"

She smiled underneath him as he moved to hover over her. "I can't wait to meet her myself."

"You can," he urged her with a smile. "You have the ability to make your introduction."

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "I can  _what?"_

"How about in the morning on the way back to Gallifrey, you and I work on a couple of techniques?"

"Not now?"

He grinned a wolfish smile at her. "Oh," he growled as he dropped his nose into her neck. "We have much more important matters to tend to right now?"

She shuddered underneath him as his lips grazed across her collar bone. "What can be more important than…" Her breath hitched as he slid his hands along her waist and hooked his fingers around the waistband of her sleep shorts. "Oh. I see then. Uh," she gulped as he slid his hand, and her shorts, down over her hips. "Carry on, then."

"I intend to," he graveled against her skin as he claimed a particularly sensitive area with his teeth. His fingers clutched at the bare skin revealed between her shorts and the lowest rise of her ass and he tugged her hard against him.

Rose's cellphone started to chime with the Imperial March ring tone.

"Don't answer it," he demanded as he intensified his ministrations. "For the love of Rassilon, don't answer that."

The Doctor's phone vibrated and rang out the Twilight Zone theme. He chanced a glance at his and then screwed up his face. "Oh come on. It's three in the morning! Don't you humans sleep?"

"According to you, yeah they do. Too much." Rose roughly pushed him off her as their land line chimed out loudly through four phones strategically placed throughout the house. "Bloody Torchwood, I'll bet," she snapped as she fumbled to twist underneath the Doctor to swat at the side table for her cellphone. "It's mum," she barked.

The Doctor pawed at his phone. "Oh Hell. It's Pete." He pulled on his blue pinstriped pants as he held the phone to his ear. No doubt, if they were being hit from all three telephone numbers, this was an emergency situation. "Pete. It's the Doctor. What's up?"

Rose was in her own movements of trying to tug on her own Torchwood assignment uniform as she pressed her phone to her ear. "Mum? Calm down. What's happening?" As she listened to her mother, she shot a horrified look to the Doctor, whose own expression was darkening as he listened to Pete over the phone. "Oh my God," she whimpered. "Doctor?"

He let the phone drop an inch from his ear and pointed to the doorway while he pulled on the sleeves of his Oxford. "Wake them all up. Get everyone on the deck immediately."

Rose nodded and hauled open the door to rush into the hallway. She could be heard urgently banging on the doors to the bedrooms of Amy, Rory and River Song with a demand that they all get up immediately.

The Doctor curled a lip in disgust as he went back to his phone call. "Bloody Torchwood. How long do we have, Pete?" His eyes briefly flared. "Really?" He palmed open the door to the deck and stood a hunched and angry image before his mother and brother. "Thanks for the heads up, Pete. Yeah. Don't worry. I'll keep her safe. I promise."

Eleven knew  _that_  look. Hell, he'd practiced it in the mirror and used it enough when he was in his tenth body. It was the expression of a Time Lord who was more than ready to rip bloody great holes in the Universe and wreak some devastation upon someone.

"You okay, Brother?"

"No," he growled. "I'm not." His head flicked to Rose as she skidded through the doorway with barely conscious companions behind her. His eyes sought confirmation that she wasn't too rattled by the phone call, and then shifted to the yawning threesome. "Sorry to wake you, but we're stepping up our schedule by a few hours."

"Why," Marissa asked curiously. She could sense the underlying panic in her son's angered voice. "What has happened?"

"Not so much what  _has_ happened," Rose said with a wince. "But what's coming."

Eleven braced himself. His own expression darkened somewhat, led by the storm raging inside his brother's eyes. "And if Torchwood is involved, it's not going to be good."

"Put it this way," Ten growled on a low, low, voice. "All Hell is about to break loose." His eyes snapped to Eleven. "Noone threatens my family."


	62. On the Way to Eldirol

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yep ... still working on this one ...

The Doctor was worried. 

_"Noone threatens my family."_

Those were four very ominous words that his brother had growled out only a second before herding them all onto their respective TARDISes. More worrying was that he didn't expand on that.  Instead of offering any form of explanation, all any of them received from the Doctor’s Meta-Crisis self was a dark insistence that Marissa join them on their trip back to Kasterborous … and left absolutely no room for argument.

The look on Rose's face was equally as worrying as his brother's lack of explanation. She was terrified. Rose Tyler was never, ever, terrified. She was the bravest woman he'd ever met.

With the Oncoming babble suddenly going very quiet and his fearless Wolf looking terrified, The Doctor could draw only one conclusion: That this was bad. Very bad. Beyond bad. Quite possibly apocalyptically bad.

He mulled it over quietly in his head as he maneuvered his TARDIS through the dimensional wall.  The thoughts and concerns continued to swirl inside his impressive Time Lord mind as he allowed the old girl some time to settle and orientate herself properly in the Prime Universe Vortex. 

Marissa’s voice took him from his musings.  “My son…”

With a sigh, he offered his mother a wary look. He didn't need to ask her any of the questions running through his mind. She made it perfectly clear that her mind was thinking the same thing.

"Whatever assistance your brother needs to stamp down this threat upon his family I expect you to offer him," she warned on a low voice. "As will your father and I."

"It'd help if he'd tell us what kind of threat was made," the Doctor responded shortly. "And more specifically against whom." He looked his mother up and down. "Being that he's insisted you come along with us, I'm going to suggest that you're one of the targets."

Marissa snorted a dismissive laugh. "I find that possibility unlikely."

"Do you?" he asked dubiously. "You're a Time Lord: An alien." His face darkened in disgust. "My experience with Torchwood is that they'd be more than happy to cage you and use you as their personal guinea pig…"

"I'd prefer you not compare me to a rodent, my son."

"A test subject, then, Mother." He rubbed at both eyes with the pads of his fingers and let out a huff. "You and Rose, human Time Lord hybrids. Both of you.”  He raised his eyes to the ceiling of his TARDIS and spoke with dramatic flair.  “Oh, the fun they could have experimenting on you both to see just how they can make it possible to exploit your genetics and create their own army of superior hybrids."

"They don't know that about me." She frowned.  Her voice softened curiously.  "I didn't even realize that  _you_  knew."

"It's not hard to figure out," he answered back with a forced smile. "I've known since I was a loomling, really.”  The forced smile turned genuine.  “I am - after all – very clever."

"Yeah, and you’re not exactly shy in telling us that," Amy deadpanned sarcastically from the doorway.

His hand circled in the air between them as though to not point in her direction.  “Well if you weren’t always off doing other things when I am being all clever, then I wouldn’t need to remind you, would I?”  He let out a huff and shook his head with obvious dramatics.  “Really.  Sometimes I do have to wonder just why it is that I choose to bring humans along with me.  What, with your minds so easily distracted…”  He paused as his eyes lit up and a broad smile stretched across his face.  “Oh how brilliant.  The TARDIS signals are now synching so if I can just…”

“And you say that _our_ minds are easily distracted,” Amy said with a snort of amusement.

The Doctor didn’t’ take his eyes from the dancing circular glyphs on monitor in front of him.  “Not so much distracted, Pond,” he countered evenly.  “But as the pilot of this ship, I am required to maintain focus on the navigational data reads and TARDIS chatter as the two ladies synch their flight data.  Any conversations with you are second in my multitasking efforts.  I do hope you understand.”

“If you rephrase that to ‘ _You are my first priority Amy’_ , then yes, I will understand fully.”

He merely snorted an amused sound through a weak smile.  The smile then dropped as he switched his attention between the monitor and the flight controls at his fingers. “If only you understood just how true that really was,” he muttered gently under his breath.

“Sorry, what?”

He cleared his throat roughly and shook his head.  “Nothing, Pond.  It wasn’t a response to your demand or anything that you would deem as being as important,” he answered with awkwardness.  “Just talking to myself – no – not just _talking_ – seeking _expert_ opinion.”  He grinned at himself.  “Oh.  I do like that.  _Seeking Expert Opinion_.”

“I guess that means that you’re communicating with the other TARDIS,” Rory offered with a scratch at his chin as he curled around Amy to look up at the monitor.  “That would be the _expert_ you’re talking to, yes?”

Amy’s eyes lit up and she leaned against the console.  She spoke in excitable tones.  "Oh, really?  So then how long till we land? Can we communicate with the other TARDIS – and by that I mean can we chat with the lad and ladies on the other TARDIS?”  Her excitement shifted to puzzled concern.  “If only because I want to make sure Rose and Pinstripes are okay. They seemed pretty pissed when we left and we weren’t exactly given any explanation for the sudden take-off."

The Doctor inhaled a deep breath to consider each question.  He answered fully on a single exhale.  "Another few minutes. Yes of course we can – the TARDIS is very brilliant – and don't worry about them. For now they're fine."

Her brows lifted and her face lengthened with surprise.  "Wow.  It’s so rare that I get the answers to all of my questions in such an efficient manner. Thank you for that."

"I aim to please."

She moved along the console and took up a spot next to the Doctor. "Do you think everything's okay with them? They seemed very upset, and by upset I mean completely jacked off."

"My best guess is that my brother's wife and child is under threat," Eleven answered with a curl of his lip and scratch at his head. "If you’ll excuse my profanity: That kind of threat'd piss anyone off beyond all reasoning…"

"Who could be so stupid as to make that threat against a Time Lord?" Amy breathed worriedly.

The Doctor agreed with a nod.  "Especially one known across the Universe as the Oncoming Storm."

He let that hang in the air for a moment. " _Well_. Let me say that nothing friendly will come out of it, that's for sure. I know what  _I'd_  do if Rose was pregnant with my child and was threatened by Torchwood."

"She's pregnant?" Her eyes blinked wider, and then wider still as she shared a look with her equally shocked husband. "But hasn't he just spent the last few days saying how they _can't_  get pregnant? That it's  _impossible_?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Apparently my brother eats impossible for lunch."

"Well, good for them. They'll make beautiful little Time Tots together." Her smile turned to a frown. "Hold on. He's not going to let her play on the Prison break out team, is he?" She rubbed at her abdomen as though illustrating her point. "Baby and stressful prison breakout with guns and bad guys and smoke and things are not a real good combination."

"She'll be fine," the Doctor commented with a small smirk.

"Indeed," Marissa assured with the proud smile of a grandmother to be. "Their child exists more as a psychic energy within her womb right now. Actual implantation is a day, two days away. She is perfectly fine to continue our current path."

"So, then there might be a chance that she  _wont_  get pregnant?"

"Pregnancy is guaranteed,” Marissa lectured in a manner identical to that of both sons. "Right now, their daughter exists as a telepathic energy within her. Once my son and his wife have embraced and bonded with this energy then conception will take place."

Amy peeped. "Huh?"

"Gallifrey is a world of telepathic beings," Marissa began in a lecturing tone used often by her son.

Amy recognized the beginnings of something likely confusing and leaned back on the railing beside the control console. "Oh-kay."

"While the body may eventually wither and die, the consciousness does remain in stasis. Before the Time Lords captured these consciousnesses and imprisoned them in the matrix, these spirits – if you will - awaited rebirth by its chosen loom, or – in this case – the chosen  _womb_." She paused to analyze the look of confusion from the other female on board and raised her eyes to the ceiling of the TARDIS to consider an appropriate analogy. Finally her eyes fell. "There are beliefs among many on Earth of the spirits of the deceased reincarnating into new bodies to embark upon new life paths." She watched Amy's eyes widen in understanding. "We of Gallifrey believe the same."

"Okay," Amy added slowly. "That's not too  _out there_ , I guess. Unless, of course, you want to tell me that you know who you were in that last life."

The Doctor cleared his throat. He spoke in a voice broken by the lump in his throat. "Not exactly. But I can remember – before my own looming – waiting to be born."

"Come again?"

"I remember waiting," he continued softly with a look toward his mother. "Waiting for so long. It was like being all strung out. All unraveled in the loom."

Marissa rubbed tenderly at his shoulder. "How can you possibly remember?"

"I really don't know." He rubbed at his head. "I know I waited. Impatiently, of course.  Patience has never been in my nature.”

Amy frowned with puzzlement.  “So.  So are you telling me that you have conscious thought while your spirit is all spread out across the cosmos waiting to be put back together for birth?

He shook his head.  “No. I had no thought. Not really, anyway. Nothing that I could put together. I knew what was happening, though." He pursed his lips and blew out a breath. "I just know that couldn't wait. I couldn't wait to escape the loom, to get out." He paused a moment and then curled a lip in disgust. "And then I ended reborn and naked on the loom in the presence of 44 cousins all laughing. Just laughing and laughing. I wanted to crawl right back into it."

"Oh my child," Marissa soothed with a slight amount of humour in her voice. "I always told you to pay them no mind."

"So if you know all that," Amy asked, doubt very much tainting her tone of voice. "Do you know who you were in your last life?"

He shook his head. "No. I really don't. Although I do often sense something or  _Other_  from my past life."

 Amy shook her head. "And there you are going all cryptic on me again.  I guess I already exceeded my _straight answer_ quota for the day.”

Rory petted his frustrated wife on the shoulder. "Do what I do, Amy.  Just go with  _It's a Time Lord thing_."

Her nose scrunched up. " _It's a Time Lord Thing_  cannot be the answer he," she pointed at the Doctor, "is allowed to use every single time things don't make any sense!"

"I  _always_  make sense," he admonished with an eye roll.

"Very rarely," she argued. "And even when you try to explain it, you still don't make any sense."

The Doctor shrugged. "I can certainly modify any explanations for you if you wish that I explain further. As a warning, however, you will have to sit through a much more extensive lecture geared toward outlining every possible aspect of the query in your mind – " he stopped as Amy's flattened palm flashed in front of his face.

" _It's a time Lord Thing,_ " she sang sharply to interrupt. "I'll just accept it from here and for the rest of eternity if it prevents a lecture."

"I thought so." The Doctor grinned victoriously as he flipped up a lever and pointed to the door. "Okay. Here we are. Eldirol Containment Facility."

Marissa looked to the monitor to check on whether or not the second TARDIS had materialized across the other side of the facility.

"Are we ready, my children?" She waited for her Son, Amy and Rory give her answers of assent and closed her eyes. With a light rise in her chin, she shattered the walls that protected what was left of her crumbling and traumatized bond with her husband. She willed to him to grasp at their bond; to know that she was coming for him.

~ _We're coming, my husband. We'll be together soon~_

~~oooOOOooo~~

River Song had been in some fairly intense situations before. Plenty of them, actually. Every  _other_  day there was something with quite blinding intensity going on around her. It wasn't strictly a  _Doctor_  thing, either. Oh no. she was quiet adept at finding herself in a vast variety of tense and stress-inducing situations without having the involvement of the Doctor.

She'd seen scary shit too. Tonnes of it. She had gone face to face with some of the scariest assholes in the known universe and not batt an eyelash at it. Okay, batting eyelashes was generally the means by which she could weasel out of the presence of such terrific evilness, but that was by the by.

Scary individuals. Yes. Plenty of them. More than anyone should ever have to encounter in a single life time.

But in that pantheon of almost god-like nastiness; out of all of the individuals who had given her shudder; none were nearly as terrifying as the man currently at the helm of the TARDIS she was a passenger on.

She wasn't completely up to speed on just what it was that had them all hauled from slumber and bustled onto TARDISes to scamper though parallel walls in escape. Her sleep addled mind did manage to catch that a threat had been made to the Doctor. Just what that threat was hadn't exactly been shared with the class.

_"Noone threatens my family_. _"_

That was it. No explanation. Nothing. He just held an expression of darkness that River Song was sure would terrify even the Devil himself, and issued an order that they all get to Eldirol, get his Dad, so he could return to this Earth so he could sort it out.

But sort what out? Who was threatened?

Okay.  _That_  was a stupid question, really. If it pissed off the bouncy puppy otherwise known as the Time Lord Biological Meta Crisis Doctor this much, then it had absolutely everything to do with Rose. That man would rip apart every universe and destroy entire civilizations if someone even thought about her in a negative way.

But. If a threat had been put upon the woman he loved, then why was he running off in the TARDIS to go back to Gallifrey to pick up his Dad? Shouldn't he be more concerned about neutralizing the threat against Rose and hit up Gallifrey when she was safe?

"If I go to Torchwood now," the Doctor said on a very low and dangerous voice. "I will obliterate the entire building with everyone in it. Probably take out half the city while I'm at it.”  He let out a hard breath.  “But I cant.   The fury of a Time Lord unleashed upon the Torchwood board will do nothing but prove that alien threats – all of them – are as dangerous as the myth they continually perpetuate." He inhaled a few breaths in a desperate attempt to calm himself. "I need to return with a better plan than destroying Torchwood and putting heads on spikes."

River’s face fell into an expression of utter surprise and confusion. Did she say that question out loud? She looked toward Rose in silent question, only to find her staring back at her with wide eyes of surprise.

The Doctor blew out another breath and the left side of his lip twist into a smile. "You're Time Lord, River, which makes you a telepath." His eyes weren't on her. They remained on the Time Rotor. "You unknowingly projected your question."

"I did not."

"Yes," he responded shortly. "You did. And I think it would be a very good idea if you and my brother took some time to work upon your telepathic shielding seeing as there now seems to be a resurgence in Time Lord presence."

"Are you  _really_  getting snippy on me, Doctor?"

"It's not you," Rose advised softly. She didn't move from where she stood on the other side of the console to the Doctor. She stood with her arms folded across her chest and her head down. "Please don't take it to heart."

"I can speak for myself," the Doctor warned in a voice as soft as the one used by Rose.

Her eyes flashed up at him, but her head remained downcast. "Not  _always_ , you can't." Before he could argue she raised her head to him to give a smile of encouragement. "Just pilot our beautiful ship. Let me worry about Torchwood, okay? You concentrate on getting us to Eldirol – preferably a non-bumpy landing this time?"

"Bumpy is half the fun," he grumbled as he leaned across to flick at a lever.

Silence again filled the Command room. Well. Silence aside from the whine and wheeze of the Time Rotor. That silence, and the lack of eye contact between the two people who couldn't usually keep their hands off one another, definitely unnerved River Song. With guarded movements, she glided across the grated flooring toward Rose.

"I know that he's not one for sharing…"

"I share all the time," he defended quickly. "I never shut up with all of the information I routinely share with all of you."

River Song blinked at him. "What I mean," she said with only a mere touch of amusement. "Is  _sharing_  of information that is actually  _relevant_."

He coughed.

Rose sighed. "River. It's really not anything for you guys to worry about." She cleared her throat and looked across the console to her husband. "The Doctor and I will deal with it on our own when we're done."

"Are the two of you in danger?"

"Don't worry about us."

River narrowed her eyes and shifted herself in front of Rose to block her view of the Doctor. She folded her arms across her chest and pursed her lips to warn Rose not to argue. "Oh. I _will_ worry. Of course I will. If you two are in trouble, then that will upset my Doctor. If my Doctor is upset, then I get upset." She smirked a dangerous smile. "And let me tell you. I'm  _not_  like the Doctor. I _will_ use lethal force."

The only response Rose gave was to offer a look that promised the same thing about her methods.

River leaned in close. "Are they going after  _him_?"

The  _him_  in question was obvious. Rose shook her head. "No. They don't want the Doctor." She peered just slightly over River's shoulder to look at her husband. "It's complicated, but nothing that we can't deal with just the two of us." She smiled weakly. "But thank you. You know. For offering."

"It's not an offer," River corrected. "You don't have the choice."

Rose nodded quickly and let her bottom lip quiver as she shot forward to hug River Song. "Thank you."

"No thanks necessary." River stroked at her back. "We're family."

The ground rumbled lightly at their feet, which drew the two women away from each other. They looked up to see the Doctor walking toward the doors to the TARDIS, his hands thrust deeply into his trouser pockets.

"Okay, ladies. I hope you're ready to get dirty." He opened the door and forced a grin. "Welcome to Eldirol."

~~oooOOOooo~~

In a cell room so blackened and heavy with darkness that not even a Time Lord's  _superior_ sense of sight was capable of detecting any form of movement, an unnamed Gallifreyan man sat against the corner of the wall beside his cot. This man may have been unnamed and presumed dangerous by cellmates and fellow prisoners alike, but he knew exactly who he was. For Eight hundred years he had erected walls and carefully structured mental shielding so powerful that even Rassilon himself was unable to tear them down…

…No matter what disgusting and unholy trick he used to retrieve those thoughts.

His beloved wife and his precious sons would never be discovered by the Time Lords to be judged as halflings. His darling Marissa would not be held to task for her heritage. She was more Gallifreyean than any child born of this planet, and he would maintain this protection against their discovery for the rest of his life.

…Only five more regenerations to go. He could hold firm until then.

There was a tickle against his mind and a whispered thought inside his head. His eyes flashed open against the incredible darkness ahead of him.

He may have been separated from Time's embrace for almost a millennia, but he knew her call when he heard it. It began as nothing more than a ghosted whisper bounding silently against the walls shielding his hearts. But the whisper was fast becoming desperate and urgent.

It couldn't be. They had promised each other so long ago that they would not risk their children by going against the rule of Rassilon.

It was another trick. That's what it was. He could feel his beloved's presence, but could feel it twice over. That was impossible.

His head ticked to one side at the sudden invasion into his very soul. He held firm against the reach of his bond toward the one calling to him. "No," he growled into the darkness. "I will not be fooled again."

His eyes darkened deeper than the darkness which already surrounded him. "I will  _not_  be fooled."


	63. Up in the Duct Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another one ... let's see how many I can get up today... :)

~~oooOOOooo~~

Amy and Rory really didn't know what they were supposed to expect once they'd left the TARDIS and entered the Eldirol Confinement Centre. Typically, when the TARDIS answered a  _call to arms_  request, things weren't quiet and serene outside of the wooden Police Box doors. There would typically be some kind of bustling activity – most often rather loud and violent – to greet them.

Okay. So that's  _exactly_  what they expected to walk into. They expected the facility to be alive, hurried, dangerous and ready to explode.

It wasn't like that, however. Not even close. There was nothing loud, violent, nor bustling about the place. It was stone cold quiet. So very quiet, so very dark and somehow so much more terrifying than materializing in a ship filled with Daleks or Sontarans or a cavern full of Weeping Angels.

The Doctor had obviously landed the TARDIS _inside_ the facility. They were at the end of a hallway, tucked in snuggly as a hand inside a glove. The soft glow of the lights from the  _Police Box_  panel of the TARDIS offered very little in the way of illumination of the expansive corridor ahead of them. From what they could see, however, the walls of the facility were very much like the walls of Lungbarrow and of the summer home at the other side of Kasterborous. The facility looked as though it had been grown from the forest; trees that had grown so close together so as to have fused together, bonded as one like the lovers of Gallifrey.

It'd be incredibly beautiful if it weren't for the inhabitants and their reasons for living in this facility in the first place.

Best not to use that analogy, then.

Amy looked down the corridor with mild apprehension. She was still reeling from her experience at Lungbarrow, and of the random freaky movement of furniture every time something was needed. She sincerely hoped that the same didn't ring true for Eldirol. She didn't know that she could deal with that on top of the already creepy atmosphere of the place.

"I know that you and your mum have that superior Time Lord vision thing," she began quietly as she peered into the darkness. "And that might serve you both fairly well in here. But Rory and I are stuck with the old sub-standard night-blind human sight…"

"We've considered that," the Doctor answered quickly. He handed both Rory and Amy a pair of reading glasses attached to a rather crude battery pack with a red and black pair of insulated wires that the Doctor had quite obviously quickly cobbled together.. "There you go. Night vision."

Amy looked to the items with a dubiously raised brow, and then back to the Doctor. "You know that they probably had better options for night vision at Torchwood. Something a little less cumbersome."

The Doctor grinned. "Yes. They did. But they aren't quite as effective as this." He tapped on the battery pack as he attached it to her belt. "This gives you full spectrum colour view, instead of the infra-red green glow look."

"Really?" she asked inside a sigh.

He leaned down to her ear. "Take a look."

Amy rolled her eyes even as she heard the impressed gasp from her husband as he activated his own  _Doctor issued_  night vision glasses. "Okay. I'll humour… Oh my God. It's like you've switched the lights on!" She removed the glasses and was plunged back into immediate darkness. Replacing them had her seeing the corridor brightly. "Oh. I am totally keeping these."

"I'm afraid not," the Doctor countered with a smile as he tapped his finger on the lenses. "I need these back in one piece when this is all over."

"Of course you do," she muttered in a resigned voice, much to Marissa's amusement. "If ever it's something fun, you simply _have_ to have it back, don’t you?" She looked to the Doctor's mother with a glare of judgment. "Didn't you ever teach your son how to share."

"Amy!"

Marissa raised her hand to Rory to ask his silence. "This is truly a  _Time Lord Thing_  situation, my dear Amy. I have yet to meet one Time Lord who is eager to share  _anything._  They tend to be such a very selfish race." She looked to her son and her voice took on a more serious tone that warned that the time for fun and games was over. "Would you care to share with us just what it is that your brother has tasked us with this evening?"

"It was decided by  _mutual_  discussion," Eleven growled petulantly. There was no way that he would admit to anyone that he took any form of strategic order from his brother. "Our group is to access the communications hub to make sure that my brother's team can infiltrate the cell block. Rose has a fair idea of where my father is being held, and the TARDIS has done what she can to make sure that they're sent in the right direction. It's up to us, however, to get into the system and make sure that the information provided to Rose by Rassilon is accurate."

"How can it be wrong?" Amy interrupted quickly. She tapped at her temple. "Didn't she get that information directly from the man's mind?"

The Doctor and Marissa gave identical laughs at that.

"My dear Amy," Marissa sang in a lightly condescending tone. "Rassilon is our greatest telepathic master. It wouldn't be unexpected that my husband is across the solar system and that Rassilon has led us directly into a trap."

"But…" Amy continued to tap at her temple.

"He is perfectly capable of lying through telepathic connection."

"Oh that's just fantastic," Amy moaned dejectedly. "Just bloody brilliant."

The Doctor led the foursome along the corridor, guided by the TARDIS, toward what he hoped was the main communication room. He wasn't thrilled to know that it would be up to River Song and Rose to actually infiltrate a cell block housing dangerous and desperate men, but he knew that of their entire party, those two were the only ones with the training and experience to do it.

The love of his life rushing into the fray alongside the one who would become his wife. If his brother didn't keep the two of them safe, he'd kill him.

Slow and painful.

"My son," Marissa growled darkly as they entered the silent Control room. "Have some faith in them. They are brilliant."

"I know," he murmured as he slipped into a seat and pulled a keyboard toward him. "I only travel with the very best."

~~oooOOOooo~~

"Rose," River Song called softly as they wandered through the corridor with only their Torchwood-issue infra-red night vision goggles and their touch against the corridor walls to give them vision against the darkness. "Are you sure you know where we're going?"

"I think so," she answered softly. She stroked at the wall lightly with the pads of her fingers in search of any indication to suggest which part of the East Wing they were headed. Her fingers found a plaque with unrecognizable text on it. She tugged at the Doctor's tie. "What's that say?"

He cleared his throat rather uncomfortably. "Could you describe it for me?"

"What's wrong, Doctor?" River Song snorted as she scanned the walls with her thermal imaging camera. "Your  _superior Time Lord_  vision not so  _superior_ right now?"

"Knock it off," he groused back with a slouch that both women had absolutely no problems seeing. "I didn't exactly expect that it would be darker than pitch black in here. I mean, for what purpose would they have to have it this dark?"

"Are you feeling perhaps disorientated, Doctor?" River Song hazarded softly as she looked at the text on the sign. "Feeling maybe a little tired? Fearful, maybe?"

He rolled his eyes upward and moaned. "Yes. It's psychological. I get it. You are such a  _clever_  girl."

"We're in Cellblock 23," River advised Rose. She held the camera aimed at a wall then sighed at several large heat signatures beyond the wall. While there were plenty of living bodies beyond the wall, they all appeared to be lying in beds and hopefully asleep. "And is he usually _this_ condescending to you when you think of something before him?"

"I can't say. It's never happened before." Rose skipped quickly ahead a few steps to investigate a wall of bars blocking their path. "And if he did, then he'd be sleeping outside in the backyard for the next century." She looked back toward River's small monitor. "What are you seeing in there?"

"That there's definitely a  _No_ Vacancy sign out front." She let her eyes rise toward Rose and the Doctor. "Each cell seems to be at capacity, with evidence of men even  _sharing_  beds."

"Not completely unheard of in prisons," Rose quipped lightly. She tapped the pad of her finger on the lock of the door. "Oh. Lovely. Deadlocked. The sonic won't get us past."

River Song paused a step behind Rose and peered over her shoulder as the younger woman investigated. She oomphed when the Doctor lightly collided with her back and mumbled a sheepish apology. "Security door," she said to him inside a huff. "What kind of lock are we looking at, Rose?"

"A complicated looking combination one." Rose growled lightly. "More Gallifreyan." She moaned inside a sigh. "Why did it have to be in Gallifreyean?"

The Doctor was lightly amused. "Because we're on Gallifrey?"

" _Not_ an excuse."

"You two," the Doctor chided lightly with a groan and a smile. "Oh woe are we. Just  _how_  are we going to get that translated and then the code cracked? Where  _will_  we find a Gallifreyan-speaking Time Lord to help us."

Rose lightly slapped his arm as he moved by her to take a look. "Smart ass."

"I'd rather be a smart ass than a dumb, ass, Love." He slipped the goggles from Rose's eyes and slipped them over his. With sudden crystal clear clarity, he beamed. "Oh. These are brilliant, Rose. Just brilliant."

"And so will you be if you can get us beyond that gate," River sang as she wriggled flirtatiously against him. "So crack the code or sonic it to death, Sweetie."

"Oh," he breathed in a chuckle as he analyzed the combination pad. "Are you _flirting_ with me, River Song?"

"Perhaps I am," she answered coyly. Her voice then got flat and slightly annoyed. "Seeing that your wife appears to have disappeared in to thin air, I thought I might be able to get away with it."

He gasped in horror and spun around, desperately thankful for the infra-red glasses to give him a green-glow view of the corridor and everything in it. "Excuse me. What?"

"She's gone," River repeated flatly. "Does she normally do this?"

He both grunted and slumped in annoyance. "She's been known to." He raised his voice to a much harsher whisper than what the trio had been talking in thus far. "Rose. Rose, where'd you get to?"

Rose answered from above them. "Thanks to some intel provided by team Pond in communications, I've found another way around, and by the looks of things we can use this way to drop directly into the cell." Her head and shoulders were outside of the generous vent opening, and she steadied herself with her hands braced upon the edge. "I think I like this option rather than try to unlock door after door after bloody Gallifreyan code master hell locked door."

The Doctor set his hands on his hips and glared up at her. He didn't factor in that the goggles hid his attempt at a glare, and so Rose didn't flinch. "What'd we say about anyone running off?"

She adjusted her spare goggles over her eyes in a rather nonchalant manner. "Just trying to be efficient,  _Darling_."

"Get down here, now," he demanded with a hard point toward the ground. "You'll only get yourself cornered if you decide to take that route."

"No," she answered hoarsely. "The Doctor - Bowtie - says that this should take us straight toward the cell. But, if you two want to take the slow and clumsy route, then have at it. I'll meet you on the other side of the door with your dad at my side when you're ready." She wriggled to put herself deeper into the vent above their heads, which muffled her whisper enough to make it hard to hear her. "I've crawled through more than enough vents and sewers and tight little tunnels that I can navigate well enough. This one is surprisingly clean. I'll have to send an email to the facilities managers here when we're done and get some tips."

"Rose!"

Her head emerged again. "And there aren't any cameras up here that we need to dodge." She grinned toward River Song. "How about it, beautiful? Feel like crawling through duct work and dropping in on Cell number 4 like a pair of ninjas?"

"Oh," she breathed in thrill. "I'm definitely in on that plan." She put her hands on the Doctor's shoulders. "Give me a boost up, Sweetie. I'll keep your honey safe."

"This is where I voice my objection," the Doctor muttered, although offering River the boost she had requested.

"Objection noted, and dutifully ignored by unanimous femme vote."

"I really don't fancy the idea of the two of you wriggling through the ducts. Don't forget that this is a facility of Time Lords and men of Gallifrey. Men who haven't smelt the scent of a woman in Rassilon knows how long…"

"This  _is_  going somewhere, yeah?"

"Yes, River," he snapped. "You're putting your scent through this entire facility. You'll send this place into a riot."

"I don't see how, considering you lot appear to be completely asexual." She anchored herself in the vent and dropped her hand to help the Doctor up after her. "Now get up here, will you?"

He took her hand and kicked off the wall to rise up into the vent. "I think that the ostentatious displays of passion I display for my wife is adequate proof that we're not."

"It's a front."

Rose's muffled whisper growled along the darkness. "What in the name of Raxicoricofallapatorious are the two of you talking about?"

"What in the what?" River moaned as she hauled her chest up into the duct. "Your husband is suggesting that we stink, you and me."

"Ahh. Good for him." She sat up on her knees, her back straight, to look back at the pair. "Plenty of room in here, which I am not sure makes it a good or bad choice of method of sneaking about in here."

The Doctor took a look around. He bit at his lip and then pulled out his sonic screwdriver to quickly scan the metal walls of the duct. He held the sonic to his face to check the readings. "Just your basic ventilation and air conditioning shaft. No concerns about toxins of flames suddenly exploding through here."

"That's debatable with _you_ here," River said with a chuckle.

"As I was saying," he ground out in a deliberate growl. "This facility is about twenty Earth metres below the surface of the planet. Obviously this was designed to prevent any inmates trying to break the surface if they do escape their cells." He looked to the space behind him, and then toward the girls. "The only way out is by TARDIS or Transmat, and even transmat is shifty at best. Enter the wrong coordinate codes and you'll end up materializing in your own tomb.”  His brows lifted thoughtfully.  “Still. That would save burial and funeral costs, wouldn't it?"

"If that happened on Earth, you bet your ass that they government would find a way to hit you up for it," River offered as she surveyed the surrounding area with a heat sensor. The side of her mouth quirked at the array of bodies directly underneath them. "Heaven help us if these ducts can't take our weight and we fall through. Some of these Time Lords are  _big_  men."

"We should be fine," Rose promised lightly. "The Doctor assures me that the duct work is very sound."

"How about sound  _proof_ ," Ten asked softly as he took up a crawl position behind River Song. "And Rassilon help me, all I see in front of me is River Song's backside."

River Song shimmied playfully.  "Take yourself a good look, Sweetie.  I can pose for a picture when we’re done if you like."

“Oh get a move on, will you?”

~~oooOOOooo~~

Why were there so many familial energies surrounding him? Sons and Daughters, a Grand Child and Bonded Lovers.

He clutched at his head as she shuffled back harder against the wall. His cot no longer seated itself against the wall. Although screwed into the floor with thick bolts through all four legs of the bed, it was no match against a quickly panicking Time Lord warrior. The push of his strong and trunk like legs had the cot angled off the wall. He slid himself in the space between.

"Has this Hell finally broken me," he moaned through a cracked mumble as he rocked his body and clutched at his hair. The marital bond within him, the one-time inferno that had long become nothing more than a dying ember, suddenly reignited, shot through his veins and exploded within his mind. He couldn't fight the moan that rumbled from his belly and out through his throat. "I have to fight this," he growled angrily. "It's not  _her_."

There was movement in the walls above him. A scuffle. A threat against  _the Doctor?_ A giggle?

He raised his head, still blinded in the darkness, but using his hearing to see as much as he could.

There was a light metal creak, and then a blue glow stick dropped onto the ground in the centre of the five cots spread along the wall. The sudden glow, although soft, was almost blinding to eyes only used to the dark.

A slight and slender form dropped soundlessly onto the tiled floor. Illuminated ethereally by the soft blue glow, she scanned the room around her as another feminine form dropped to the floor beside her.

The second woman looked up with a pointed finger of warning, but she said nothing. The ceiling flashed blue, and began to buzz a sonic whirl.

"So much for stealth." The first woman muttered dryly.

"Okay, honey," the second woman breathed. "Which one is he?"

_Honey_  looked critically around at each bed, eliminating each cot with a firm and tight shake in her head.

And then her eyes fell upon him. They locked. And the fire within him blazed into an unstoppable inferno. Younger than she was when he last saw his beloved Marissa, her telepathic signature was unmistakable.

She had come. She was right in front of him.

She pointed to him. "There he is. And he's awake." She slowly stepped forward even as the woman beside her pulled a firearm from her belt and held it in warning toward him.

"Are you Ulysses; Husband to Marissa and father to the Doctor?"

He exploded from the wall and rushed toward Rose with a mixture of anger and possession in his curled lip and fired eyes. "My Beloved."


	64. Breakout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Are we good for another chapter?

The Doctor and his mother worked at separate consoles within the communications hub at Eldirol. Their fingers flew with flawless accuracy and their eyes flicked between flashing windows as though they were tenured employees rushing through their work day to escape for the weekend.

Amy was settled at another console and, whilst she wanted to assist in the most  _insane_  manner possible, she couldn't understand anything that flashed onscreen. Even the keyboard itself was covered with unrecognizable symbols. She could go with the QWERTY board, pretend that perhaps each symbol on that keyboard did correctly correspond with the English letters… But who was she kidding? She could probably type something as innocently lame as  _check email_  and the system would think she was typing in the self-destruct codes.

She just opted, then, to maintain visual on the only monitor that was tracing  _team pinstripes_  through the facility. Her lips pursed once they disappeared into the duct work and she was left with only voice communication.

And, my, did she have a silent giggle at the teasing between the trio. She frowned, though, when she heard Pinstripes mention a view of River's butt.

"Now you just look anywhere else, Sandshoes," she grumbled into her communicator. "River is a good girl, you just behave yourself."

Eleven raised his eyes to give Amy a curious glance, but his fingers kept working steadily across the keyboard. "What's happening with the other team?"

"Your brother is checking out my daughter's butt," she answered flatly; her boredom obvious. "Are you almost done?"

"You're welcome to go back to the TARDIS if you like."

"Oh no," she challenged with a narrowed glare and a poke of her finger to suggest she'd poke him in the chest if he was within reach. "I know you, you sneaky boy. I go back to the TARDIS and next thing you know all the fun will begin."

"The fun to be had is with the other group, I'm afraid," Eleven groused lightly as he dropped his chin onto his fist to pour through some information on his screen. "But that isn't to say we won't get  _some_  action on this end."

Marissa leaned forward at her own console in much the same manner as her son. "I'd say the chances are on the higher side of likely," she offered. "Now. I've managed to synch all of the door locks so they release with a 30-second delay between doors. And…"

"Halve that," the Doctor advised sharply, forgetting for a moment who he was addressing. "If, for some reason things go awry – and being that both my brother  _and_  Rose are part of that group and are far more jeopardy friendly than…" He paused at a glare from his mother. "Oh. Sorry. You want to say something else?"

"Oh don't mind me," Marissa said with a grunt as she went back to the keyboard. "Who am I to interrupt you need tp rant upon your brother? It's not like I'm your  _mother_  or anything."

Rory let up the first laugh, and was closely joined by Amy. "Oh, a mother guilt burn! It doesn't matter what planet they're from, a Mum will always get you with guilt."

"Thank you, Pond," The Doctor groaned. He cleared his throat and looked back to his mother. "What I did mean to say is that if they happen find themselves in a situation where they are being pursued by anyone particularly unfriendly, fifteen seconds between doors should be more than enough time for them all to make it through. Any more time will give their pursuers more chance to continue to follow."

Amy nodded in agreement. "He's right. And I can't believe I just said that out loud."

"I usually am right," he shot back with a grin as he adjusted his bow tie.

"Yeah. Or so I let you believe, anyway." She pulled her hair over her shoulder and leaned her chin on her palm as she looked at the blank monitor. "So?"

"Yes, Pond?"

"Time Lords aren't  _typically_  sleepers are they?"

He looked up from the monitor only briefly. "How do you mean?"

"Well," she began thoughtfully. "My experience with you, Doctor, is that you don't often curl up in bed and sleep. In fact, whenever I've brought it up, you are very quick to admonish the human penchant to sleep."

Marissa looked up at that. "She's right." She looked to her son. "Time Lords don't require a great deal of sleep, and don't often indulge in it just because they're bored and have nothing else to do."

"Which begs the question," Amy continued. "Why do we have an entire facility of Time Lords all sleeping at the same time, and for such an extended period of time … like humans?"

Marissa and the Doctor shared a look. "Drugged," The Doctor barked suddenly as he swiftly flicked through new screens on the computer. "But what kind?"

"And what kind of side effect would these drugs have on a Time Lord who is sleeping far too frequently for a typical sleep cycle?"

He looked up to his mother. "It would have to be more than simply triggering an over production in melatonin," he gruffed thoughtfully. "We'd be looking at full behaviour modification and manipulation on a telepathic level – which would give a far more dangerous effect if not administered with consent."

"Let's not forget that it's also highly illegal; not just on Gallifrey, but across the universe as a whole," Marissa growled. "Prisoners or not, you can't get into a man's mind without implicit consent."

"Indeed…"

"And if Rassilon has ordered tampering of my husband's mind…"

The warning was clear.  It gave shudder to the other three in the room, but none more so than the Doctor. His shudder was plainly visible.  The shudder shifted to a heavy tremor as he looked through the information on screen. A low and ancient curse rumbled out of his throat.

"What have you found?"

"Nothing, Mother," he answered carefully. "I will expect that you’ve tried to reach out to my father through your bond? I am sure that should answer any questions you have about his mental state."

"I have tried," she murmured softly. She closed her eyes and exhaled a long breath of concentration. "But we haven't connected in so long; I don't know that I can still reach him."

"If he loves you as much as you do him," Amy offered with a smile. "You'll reach him."

Marissa seemed to be serene as she focused her mind to search out her husband. Her smile and calm lasted only a few moments before her breath shifted and quickened to a pant.

"Mother?"

Her eyes flashed open. "He's in distress," she whimpered painfully. "He seems so lost and scared."

The Doctor cursed under his breath. His fingers flew more frantically across the keyboard. "Don't worry, Mother. They'll be there soon. They will."

She shot a horrified look toward her son. "If he meets Rose in his current state-" her hands flew to her mouth. "Son. She holds my consciousness in her mind.  _I_  was the one who gifted her the power of a Time Lord." She swallowed. "Your father will either believe her to be me, or he's going to attack her as an imposter."

"My brother is there," he answered quickly and with shields protecting his rising panic. "He'll make sure that dad won't believe either of those options."

"How fast can your brother act, my Son?"

"You'd be very surprised just how quick he can react when it's Rose on the line," he assured darkly. "I'd be more concerned about Dad being in trouble rather than Rose in this case."

"If you truly believe that either you or your brother are in any way a match to your father." She set her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it tightly. "Send warning to your brother that your father is unstable. Make sure that their escape will not be hindered in any way if he is truly unstable."

"Amy," the Doctor called. "Send a message to team Pinstripes please."

"On it, Raggedy man." She brought the communicator to her lips. "And what are you two going to do?"

"Oh," Marissa growled. "My son and I are going to end this torture of our fellow men of Gallifrey." She looked at the Doctor with a gaze of order. "These men may be criminals, but they are also Gallifreyan. I will not allow such methods of mental modification to continue."

"I guess this means a bang," he asked with a smirk.

"Oh yes, my son. A rather big one."

"Oh yes," Amy cheered. "Now  _that_  is the kind of Time Lord Party I'm looking for!"

~~oooOOOooo~~

Rose had to admit it – even if only to herself – she actually  _really_  enjoyed the down and dirty side of infiltrating Alien facilities. There was a quiet thrill to wriggling about inside ducts and vents and tunnels that she thrived on. Is was quite likely the  _danger_  aspect to the whole thing. With her only option being a backward/forward run, she was either going to be completely shit outta luck and cornered, or blissfully undetected and home free.

…And  _shit outta luck_  was fun in its own right. Actually, she had never really been shit outta luck at any time, even when cornered. She was still alive, right? So there was luck somewhere. Usually in the form of a scruff-haired maniac in a pinstripe suit.

And, oh, did she hope that this trend was going to continue. It'd have to. No sense in embarrassing herself with an epic failure in the presence of her Mother in Law who, while not yet displaying the whole judgment thing typically present within any  _in Law_ , was very much capable of judgment.

No. IF she had it her way this would go very, very smooth and trouble free.

It was that line of thought that urged her forward inside the access duct. Well. That, and River Song's head, of course. On the two separate occasions that she had found herself face to face with a T-junction and had to stop rather abruptly, River's head had actually collided with her butt. While Rose considered them to be friends, she certainly didn't feel  _that_ close to her. Best to keep moving, or at least give fair warning…

"I'm about to stop," Rose warned as they moved toward a grill on the bottom of their duct. She stopped, thinking that she had given adequate warning, but found herself with a curly blond forehead pressed against her thigh anyway. "River. Really?"

"I got the warning," she snarled. "But your husband didn't." She twisted her head to look over her shoulder at him. "Back up, Doctor, or my foot will mess up your pretty little face."

"Give it a shot, River," he fired back. "I dare you to try."

"Both of you knock it off," Rose muttered with a barely hidden chuckle. "We're here."

River scuttled to move beside Rose and helped her unclip the grate. "You want to go in first?"

Rose nodded. "Yes please. I want you with hands on weapon, though. Just in case I have got this all shades of absolutely wrong and we drop in on a bunch of Time Lord perverts."

"Time Lords are not  _perverts_ ," the Doctor admonished arrogantly. "And we're in the right spot. I can feel him." He tapped at his temple. "Here."

"Good to know," Rose breathed with a sigh as the grate swung on tiny hinges with a metallic creak that would make the TARDIS doors jealous. She cracked a small glow stick and looked to the Doctor as she gave it a quick shake. "You're coming, right?"

He nodded and gave a wink. "Just getting some intel from Amy. Be right with you." He reached around River Song to touch at Rose's fingers. "Be careful."

Rose shot back a tongue in teeth grin as she first dropped the glow stick onto the floor and dropped herself down onto the tiled floor below. She landed in a crouch and quickly surveyed the area before her. She barely noticed River Song's soundless drop to the floor beside her.

She might not have heard River fall soundlessly to the ground, but she was fully aware of River pointing up to the Doctor, and then the flash and whir of the sonic screwdriver working whatever magic he had decided needed to happen.

"So much for stealth," she muttered with a wince at the buzz above her head.

River Rolled her eyes as she took in the five beds pushed by their headboard against the walls. "Okay honey," she breathed almost flirtatiously. "Which one is he?"

Rose let her focus move left to right. The first bed had a tall and skinny, senior looking man with gaunt features. The second, a young man, tall and muscular lying in a cot without a blanket covering his body. He didn't exactly have much covering his body, actually. Just Boxers and an undershirt.

Her eyes then moved to the third and fourth beds, where it appeared that a set of Twins may well have slept. Brown hair, white skin, sharp noses and a weak set jaw. Neither of them were Ulysses, but the rigidity of their bodies as they slept suggested that they were highly strung, and potentially very bloody dangerous.

Definitely not him.

Her eyes finally fell on to the last cot, and on a man wide awake and staring back at her from a gap between the wall and the right side of his cot. Without thinking about it, she raised her hand to point a finger at him.

"There he is. And he's awake."

River song was already on the move and taking her gun from the waistband of her pants as Rose answered the question. She honestly didn't need the confirmation. She could see by the steeled stare from the man in the darkness that he was his son's father. There weren't many men capable of a look that could cut through the darkness to pierce one's very soul.

She held the gun up and put on her most authoritative tone of voice. "Are you Ulysses; husband to Marissa and father to the Doctor."

The Doctor found that moment to drop his head into the cell in panic, but he couldn't issue any form of warning before his father shot from the side of the room toward Rose.

"My beloved," he called on a hoarse voice as he cornered her against the wall, his thick arms thrust either side of her shoulders and pressed into the cinderblock wall.

Rose gulped. "Doctor?"

Ulysses' hand snapped to her face with a swiftness that whipped a slice through the air, but had a touch as gentle as a whisper. "You shouldn't have come here, my love. We promised that this path had to be taken to protect our children." He drew the backs of his fingers along her cheek, down her throat, and then along her collar bone. "Grateful though I am to see you. My love, you are a sight for a broken man with two very broken hearts."

Rose was pretty much frozen in place. At any other time, the rapt attentions of such an attractive man might be worth a proud whip of her hair and a " _yep, still got it"_  giggle. But this was the Doctor's  _dad_. And he looked ready to ravish her on the spot.

"Uhm," she began with a light wriggle of contemplation to flee. "It's. Uhm.  _Nice."_  Her peripheral vision caught the shadow of the Doctor dropping from the vent and make a slow approach.

"How I have ached to hold you again, my love," he growled with more predation than possession. "I've needed you. In my arms, in my head, in my bed. By Rassilon I have yearned for you."

Rose peeped. That was an actual growl. She looked with desperation to the Doctor, who held both hands, palms out, to tell her he was there, to trust him and to just hold on.

"Father," he tried with quiet urging. " _Dad_. Dad, it's me. The Doctor."

Ulysses didn't' seem to take notice of his son pleading for his attention. Instead, he inched closer to the terrified – and slightly creeped out – woman against the wall and closed his eyes to inhale deeply. "My beautiful…" His words stopped and his entire body locked rigid. "You aren't my wife."

She gave a minute shake of her head. She swallowed. "No. Sir. I'm not. My name is Rose, and I'm here with…" She ducked and let out a shrill peep as one of his hands launched at the wall beside her head with fury Rose had never seen before. Her voice weakened to a whimper. "With the Doctor."

"Who are you?" He snarled dangerously at her. "Who are you to come to me with the mind of the woman my hearts beat for? Did Rassilon send you to tempt and to trick me?"

"No," she pleaded, wincing under his glare. "Rassilon didn't send me." She panted. "Marissa sent us. She sent us to free you from here."

"Lies!" he bellowed as his hand struck the wall again, which reduced Rose to another moment of wincing and whimpering. Oh, how she wanted to strike back and snarl herself… Her eyes flashed to River in a desperate and unspoken order.

River complied immediately and grasped a fistful of the fabric on Ulysses' shoulder. She leaned in nice and close to his ear and snarled as she pressed the muzzle of her gun into his neck. "Step away from my sister, or I will shoot you where you stand." She let the click of the weapon chambering a bullet sound out throughout the room. She ignored with wince of the Doctor beside her. "I don't care who you are, or who sent me in here to free you. I know  _Rose_  a lot better than I know  _you._  So my decision will be nice and simple. _"_ She shoved the gun harder into his neck to bring her point across. "Let my friend go."

The Doctor growled. "River, back off."

"When your dad does, then I will, Doctor," she warned hotly. Her lips brushed against Ulysses' ear. "Now be a good Time Lord and step away from Rose.  I’m guessing that you don’t remember meeting us all back on Gallifrey when the Doctor was a young lad…”

“I have never met any of you,” he snarled out the side of his mouth to the woman standing behind him.  He pressed himself forward, closer against Rose to cage her in tightly.  He grinned at the quiet and frightened sound of her whimpering under his glare.  “I may have had my mind ravaged by time and by Rassilon’s law, but I dare think that I would remember this _imposter_ to my beloved.”

“Father,” the Doctor urged.  “Rose.  She’s not an imposter to Mother.  She’s my wife.”  He cleared his throat pathetically.  “Please.  You’re scaring her.”            

Ulysses slowly cranked his head upon his thick neck to glare toward the Doctor.  “Are you an imposter to my precious son as well?”

River let out a moan of impatience.  “Oh, I think I’m having enough of this.  Look.  I get it.  I know you haven't seen your son for a few centuries and I don't know what he was like back when you last saw him, but from what I've seen of him recently is that he's pretty damn protective of his wife." She lowered her tone to whisper hotly against the shell of his ear. "Very. _Very_ protective. As am I."

“River,” the Doctor warned darkly; slowly finding his courage with a redirection of his attention toward her.  “That isn’t helping matters.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” she huffed out with only a whisper against Ulysses’ ear.  “This big lug hasn’t made any further attempts to hurt Rose.”  She practically kissed at the ear against her lip.  “I suspect he knows that while he might be a big brute, he’s no match against a bullet.”

“Back off, River,” the Doctor demanded.  “If he does something to her because you are too bullheaded to know when to back off, then you’ll have to fare with me as well as him.”

Ulysses' stance softened slightly, but he made no real attempt to move away from his quarry. He let his eyes move to the skinny man in a suit standing only a few feet off to his right. He could see the Lungbarrow glare within the man's ancient eyes and recognized the furious intensity immediately. "Are you protective or simply possessive, my Son?" he queried cautiously.

"Both," the Doctor answered darkly without hesitation. He put his hand on River's gun to push it down and away from his wife and father. "Now. I respect you, Father. And I understand the wrath I will receive from my mother if harm is to come to you, but I warn you that I will tear you limb from gigantic limb if you continue to terrify my  _pregnant wife_  in this manner."

Ulysses immediately backed off a single long stride. He held his arms upward as though in surrender. " _Pregnant_  wife," he queried doubtfully. "Surely you jest."

"I jest not," the Doctor warned on a low voice as he snatched his arm out to pull Rose toward him. He immediately pulled her close and he stepped just slightly in front of her; a Time Lord shield around a precious jewel. "Are you okay, Rose?" he asked on a soft voice as his eyes glared holes into his father. "Did he hurt you?"

"O-only my pride," she stuttered with a shake of her body. Her hand shuddered as she pointed toward the Time Lord's father. "Keep your weapon on him, River. I don't trust him one bit."

"Neither do I," River shot back as she raised her firearm once more. "How do I know that you're the genuine article? Prove to me – and to Rose – that you're Ulysses and not a trap set by Rassilon to draw all of the Lungbarrow family renegades into one room."

Ulysses kept his hands high an offered a chuckle toward the Doctor. "You have surrounded yourself with fireballs, Son."

"You have no idea," he groused dejectedly. He then cleared his throat and shrugged. "But, you can hardly blame them. They've had a pretty tough couple of days dealing with untrustworthy Time Lords."

"Present company included, yes?"

" _Well_ ," he began with a tug on his ear and then a scratch at his sideburn. "I suppose you could say that. I do have a rather decent reputation of not being completely and 100% honest…"

"Rule number one," River injected with a chuckle. "The Doctor lies."

"Oh not all the time," The Doctor defended with a wince. "Just when it comes to saving the ones I care for."

"The trickster," Rose moaned as she pulled from the Doctor's grasp and looked around the cell. "And he's definitely tricked me once or twice." She strode the length of the cell and carefully checked each of the beds. "They are sleeping very deeply." Her neck almost cracked as she twisted her head to look toward the patriarch of the Doctor's family. "How is this possible? Time Lords don't sleep." She shook her head. "Not like this, anyway."

"We can discuss the facility's methods of subduing their guests once we are out of here," Ulysses growled. "Although I am reluctant to become a fugitive to Rassilon and the Lord Council, I imagine that this breakout is with good reason."

"To save the lives of you and your wife," Rose offered on a dark tone.

Ulysses hands dropped and his hands curled into fists at his sides. His eyes darkened to seething fury as his voice deepened to match it. "Has Marissa been threatened?" He barely gave Rose a chance to answer before he stalked a furious stride toward her, only to be halted in his stride by his son stepping in his path.

"I've had plenty of practice taking down entire armies," the Doctor warned. "If you advance upon my wife with that level of aggression one more time, I won't hesitate to put you into regeneration number eight, and then nine, and then…"

"Doctor, please," Rose urged. "He's your dad."

"Your wife is clever," Ulysses remarked with a smirk. "It might pay to listen to her."

"Well, Rose Tyler," River muttered as she clicked the safety on her weapon and raised it to sit on her shoulder in a nonchalant manner. "I'm beginning to think that no man of Lungbarrow will easily get along with another Lungbarrow man. Travelling with the Doctor has shown that when you get more than one of them in a room together - boom go the pyrotechnics." She tapped the muzzle of her gun on her watch. "But if the two of you can shelve it for the next little while, we are getting short on time. Candleday is approaching, and I don't care to be in a room full of waking Time Lord with a hard on for getting violent."

"I would pay no heed to the rumours of aggression behind these walls, child," Ulysses advised. "They have rendered the residents of this fine facility mental eunichs. Far more apt to knit a sweater than to pick a fight."

"I'm not even going to ask," River sang though pursed lips.

"No, but I will," the Doctor growled. "Mother said that there have been telepathic modifications on the prisoners here."

"Indeed," Ulysses growled. "And to think they say that  _we_  are the criminals of Gallifrey." He let out a breath. "I've had nearly eight centuries of building barriers to shield me from the worst of it, but I still fall victim to their techniques." He faced Rose and then lowered his head. "And for that, my daughter, I apologise to you. My strength is my bond with my wife, and as the treads have become so tenuous and weakened of late, I am in a panic as to her safety." He took a cleansing breath. "When I felt it flame once more, my shields collapsed, and I was bombarded with the power of Rassilon's torture."

"That's okay," she answered softly. "Just. Just d-don't let it happen again, okay?"

"You have my word." He looked to his son, who appeared to be concentrating hard on listening to something. "Is all well, Doctor?"

He nodded, although there was a sizeable crease in his brow. "Oh yes. It appears that way." He looked between the trio and aimed his sonic at the cell door. "Mother has set specific time delays on the doors leading back to my TARDIS. Once I activate the sequence with my sonic, we have to move, and move fast, or we'll end up permanent residents of this place." He looked to his father. "Are you fine to run,  _Dad_?"

"TARDIS?" he queried. "What is a TARDIS?"

"Oh, My TT Capsule."

"Ah. Yes. Okay," he answered on a breath with a wide open mouth as he nodded. "You do like to give cute names to things, don't you?"

"Are you good to go or not," he huffed. "Because I am more than fine to leave you here."

"I am fine to run," Ulysses answered with a smirk. "I haven't had a good run in a very long time. Tell me, is there to be an explosion involved?"

"You tell me. You've got Mother and your son on the warpath." He pointed the sonic at the door. "Rose, take my hand and for the love of what you consider holy do not let go. River…"

She coyly took hold of Ulysses' hand. "And I'll hang on to your Dad. The old Boy might need to be dragged in the right direction."

"Sometimes," the Doctor growled, "I think you'd be far more suited to marrying Jack than my brother."

River cast a glance to Rose as the blonde let out a laugh of agreement. "Who's Jack, then?"

"An-n-nd-dd," The Doctor grunted to halt the conversation there. "In three. Two." He activated the sonic and the Door slid open with a growl and a hiss. He clutched at Rose's hand. "One. Allons-y!"

The Doctor and Rose shot through into the hallway first, followed closely by River and Ulysses. They bolted toward the second doorway and found themselves having to wait a couple of seconds before it opened, which was enough time for them to see a pair of twin Lords emerge from the cell they'd just vacated.

"Oh just brilliant," the Doctor grunted as he aimed his sonic toward the second door the instant that all four had passed through it. "We have company. Dad, are they lords we have to worry about?"

"You could say that," he answered with a growl. "They're my shadows. They've been modified with a little more aggression than my other cellmates."

"Well, that’s just terrific," the Doctor said with a grunt as he ran sideways toward the third door and aimed the sonic at the second door. It whizzed shut, but not before one of the twins had made it through. "This might also be a good time to ask," he panted as he tried to slam yet another door closed in front of their pursuer. "Are there any guards we need to worry about in here?"

"Not until the start of candleday," Ulysses offered flatly. Upon seeing their pursuer make it through another door, he released River Song's hand. "My sweet girl, do follow my son. Let me deal with this cretin so that you can all escape."

"Not happening," she sang teasingly. She quickly, on the run, unhitched her weapon and flicked off the safety. "Let me help."

"No killing," the Doctor warned as he slid through another door and tried to sonic the previous one shut. "It's not  _his_  fault that his mind’s been tampered with."

River Song groaned. "Then you have to give me Rassilon, instead." She flicked her gun to the wall and fired off twin shots against the metal walls. "I will assume a minor flesh wound is acceptable?"

“Very much so.”

The bullets ricocheted off the walls and rippled the air around them as they grazed through the man's shoulders. A mere second separated the strike of the bullets, but they were precise and accurate in striking the same part of each shoulder to drop the man to his knees. He was unsuccessful in breaching the next part of the hallway.

River Song winked toward Ulysses as she blew the smoke from the muzzle of her weapon and continued to run alongside the him through the next and final door. He laughed close to her ear. "How I have missed the smell of cordite in the air. A magnificent pair of shots, my dear." Both their heads shot to the Western side of the complex as the rumble of an explosion rocked the very ground at their feet.

"Looks like Mother is making her own fun," the Doctor muttered as they rounded the corner toward the TARDIS. He quickly unlocked the door and held the door open as he ushered everyone inside. He skipped foot to foot impatiently as his father paused at the door and looked back down the corridor toward the sound of the explosion.

"Do you think she is safely free of that explosion, Son?"

The Doctor pressed his finger against the communicator in his ear and listened hard. He then gave one of his trademark manic grins. "Free and clear. They're dematerializing now, and will meet us at the Summer home in a few moments."

"And the facility?"

"Intact," he answered. "The purpose was to destroy what was modifying the men in this facility, not the facility itself." He shrugged and pointed toward the interior of his TARDIS. "Now come on. Get inside. The quicker we're in the vortex, the quicker you'll be reunited with Mother." He pursed his lips. " _And-d-d- d_  then she can explain to you where you will both go from here. I don't need to tell you that now you're both fugitives, which means that all of Kasterborous is out of the question."

"As is most of the universe," he admitted with a frown. He rubbed at his chin in thought and then looked to his son with a smile. Without warning, he suddenly pulled the Doctor to his chest and embraced him warmly. He felt amusement at his son's whimper and struggle for freedom, but held him until he relented and relaxed in the embrace. "Thank you, my Son. I have missed you."

"Yeah," he croaked uncomfortably, especially when he saw the adoring looks of  _aww_ from the two girls standing beside the console. "You, too, Dad."

Ulysses kept his arm across his  _wilting in embarrassment_  son's shoulder as they walked toward the centre console. He looked around appraisingly and pursed his lips with an air of acceptance. "Not bad, Son. A little  _organic_  for my liking, but she looks like a fine machine."

"The very best," he assured with a proud grin as he lightly stroked one of the coral struts. "Grown and tended to by my beautiful wife, bonded to the two of us."

"Then I will hope that you take me to retrieve mine before we leave Kasterborous." He frowned as he was thrown off to one side by a jerking movement of the TARDIS. "Do you actually  _know_  how to fly this thing, Doctor?"

"Yeah," he answered innocently. "I'm flying her."

"You're galloping her like a lame horse," he corrected with a grunt. "You need to stroke her gently and treat her with all of the tenderness that you would your beloved." He gave the two girls a wink as he stroked the console. He then straightened up and looked down over his Son. "Now stand aside, and let me try." He grinned a youthful smile obviously born of Lungbarrow stock as he took the controls of the ship. "Oh I've missed this."

The ride wasn't much smoother than it was when the Doctor was at the helm, but the big man honestly thought he was performing flawlessly.

"That's a beautiful girl," he cheered with a manic grin. "Take me to Kasterborous – I have a date with a magnificent Time Lady!"

Rose shared a look with River. "Like father like son, yeah?"

"Heaven help the Universe."


	65. Dressing a Time Lord

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor races to reunite his parents ... Ulysees feels that he needs to dress himself up a little before they do... Three women and a makeover!

This was a unique situation to say the least. In all his years flying a TARDIS the Doctor never once had either one of his parents on board. Not even in his early days, when he used a TT Capsule for routine exploration during his downtime from his  _Day Job_ back before he left Gallifrey.

…And now he was taking his father to reunite with his mother in the TARDIS carrying his brother...

What in the name of Gallifrey had happened?

Less than a week ago, he fully believed that his parents were long gone, and that he was only one of two Time Lords left in the Universe … or … Universe(s).

A week ago, the only family that he had were the Tylers. He had Jackie, Pete and little Tony Tyler to call his kin, and while they weren't blood, they were a family that he most definitely had a hand in bringing together and was therefore very much a part of. And, besides, Jackie Tyler had claimed him as her adopted son practically the moment the TARDIS had vanished from Bad Wolf Bay.

And it was great. Really it was. It was pleasant to have a  _nice Human family_  to call his very own. He needed that. Needed it far more than he would ever openly admit to anyone – particularly, well,  _anyone –_ especially given that he'd been schooled for centuries at Cadon to believe that:  _Time Lords yearned for nothing and no one_.

Big old tafelshrew shit to that. 'Course he bloody yearned for it.

By the Gods he'd sorely missed the connection to his parents, to his planet, and  _hell_  even his brother and the Lungbarrow cousins who laughed, teased, taunted, and pounded him as he went from loomling to academy cadet to family renegade.

He needed that tingle in the back of his mind. He needed that presence to let him know that when the Gods above him shook their dice and cried out " _Sepulchasm_ " and he fell into the gigantic abyss within life's playing board, that there'd be someone to levitate him the hell out of there to save his ancient soul.

Okay, they wouldn't. Not the cousins. But it was the principal of it that mattered…

But now. Oh yes.  _Now_. He had that telltale chatter swimming through the recesses of his mind. He could feel their presence. His Mum. His Dad. His brother – the  _Doctor_  one, anyway. His wife. His child to be. His sister in waiting.

He was elated. He couldn't help it. Rassilon forgive him for being somewhat sentimental or breathless, but right now he was battling hard to come to terms with the knowledge that now – after so much time being so alone in the Universe - that he was one of six confirmed living Time Lords. He even had his own Time Tot on the way.

If the prophesies of Rassilon were incorrect and Gallifrey could not be saved, the Doctor didn't care…

_Okay, he did maybe just a little…_

If he were any other man he might just shed a tear and weep a little with the enormity of the situation. He may very well do just that once he was back in his home, in a darkened bathroom, hidden away from the world, once he'd sent his brother and his companions back home, made sure his parents were gone along on their merry way, and it was back to just he and his Rose.

He had to laugh at himself. He'd just gotten back the most important members of his family after centuries apart, and he already couldn't wait to be free of them.

_How very human of him._

He could laugh at himself. And you know what? He was going to do just that.  He was going to laugh.

Ulysses looked quizzically at his son as he started to chuckle to himself. It wasn't that he chuckled that caught the big Time Lord's attention. It was more in the way that it started first as a mild giggle that rose to a pleased chortle, shifted to a chuckle, and then settled on morphing into a full blown laugh.

"Are you alright, my son?"

The Doctor ceased with his laugh immediately. He didn't bother wiping at his watering eyes, nor did he bother to clear his throat. He just let his voice rake over the dry lump in the back of his throat. "I'm fine," he answered with a shrug. "Great, actually. Fantastic. Brilliant. Molto Bene, Bonne and Fantasmagorical." He frowned at that. "Fantasmagorical. Okay. I don't like that one, I won't use it again."

"I do believe that you have lost what little tether you had upon sanity, my son," Ulysses murmured with a roll in his eyes. His gaze shifted to the pair of ladies standing at the railing across from the console. "Or is he usually trying on new words for size?" His eyes shot upward to the ceiling of the TARDIS when the only response he received from the girls were grins and nods. "Indeed, then."

The Doctor said nothing as he moved around the console of his ship and busied himself with flicking levers and switches. Ulysses watched his lithe boy with the keen interest of a man learning about his son for the first time. The last time they had seen each other, the Doctor was an aging man with silver hair and a tetchy attitude. Before him now was a youthful man with a manic grin, a buoyant personality, and a fierce, furious passion toward the woman he loved.

Whatever regeneration he was in, one thing was for certain: This current regeneration had no doubt been tailor made for the pretty young blonde that held his hearts in both of her delicate hands.

He'd known the Doctor's first wife and had watched him rear a small brood of Time Lords of his own. He knew that his son had experienced  _feelings_  for his wife; but nothing compared to what he obviously held for Rose. What Ulysses saw in the Doctor's eyes for his current wife had been brilliantly absent in his eyes for wife number one. Patience, her name was. It was a misnomer for the woman who loomed his children. There was nothing patient about her. The Doctor frustrated her much more than he did even the Council of the Lords. Still, the woman stuck it out for as long as she could before her death.

As a couple, the Doctor and Patience were rubbish. As parents struggling for unity to raise children they were rubbish. As lovers.  _Well_. They were a non-bonded pair. There was no  _love._

The love of a wife…

Wife…  _Speaking of…_

He was about to see his own beloved wife – the one absolute love of his existence – after eight hundred years of separation. Suddenly Ulysses struggled to breathe. He gripped a white-knuckled grasp on the edge of the centre console and struggled to stand upright.

"By the Gods…"

The Doctor was immediately by his side with supportive hands on his shoulders. "Father, are you okay?" He shot a desperate look toward the two women chatting animatedly across the other side of the room. "Rose. River. Help me get him to the jump seat."

Ulysses tried to wave him off. "No, Son. I'm perfectly fine to get there myself. I just had a brief moment of panic, that's all."

Rose and River quickly moved either side of him and nudged the Doctor out of the way so that they could lead him to the jump seat. Ulysses wasn't about to rebuff the assistance of two beautiful women, and so he looped his arms over their shoulders and revelled in their help as he settled into the jump seat. Immediately, he leaned forward to drop his forehead into his palm. The other hand clutched at the edge of the seat to help maintain his balance. He heard a light buzzing sound and raised his head just enough that he looked through the gaps in his fingers. He frowned in puzzlement to see his Son pointing a sonic screwdriver at him.

"Just what are you doing?"

The Doctor ceased his scan and brought the sonic toward him to analyze the results. "Just seeing what's wrong," he muttered as he pointed it again and activated the scan.

River Song pushed the sonic from Ulysses’ pale face and pointed to the console. "Get that out of his face, Doctor. The TARDIS can scan him." She looked to Rose. "Your TARDIS can do scans, right?"

"She can do  _everything_ ," The Doctor answered petulantly. "I just prefer to do the scans, myself."

As River and the Doctor began trading light barbs while the Doctor set the TARDIS to scan all of them, Rose positioned herself in between Ulysses' parted knees and cupped gently both cheeks in her hands. "Look at me, Sir," she ordered gently. She waited until his eyes met hers and then offered a tender smile. "What happened? The turn of events take your breath from you?"

He returned her smile with a sheepish one of his own. "Even if my breath were to be stolen, my sweet girl, my respiratory bypass would have taken hold and I would not have been reduced to a panic attack." He moaned. "Tell me I did not just have one of those."

"That would be most unbecoming of a Time Lord, wouldn't it?" she teased lightly. She then let out a light breath. "No. It wasn't a panic attack per se," she offered. "More likely you just had a  _holy shit_ moment and had to sit down."

"That is not much better."

"It happens to the very best of us." She let her thumbs trail over his cheek bones and kept her voice soft. "So. What were you thinking about to have you all askew?"

He frowned and slid his eyes from hers. His voice was croaked and seemed forced. "I was thinking of my beloved."

At that, she giggled. "Oh. I see. Too many options to choose from for your reunion?" She winked. "I had at least four hundred different day dreams for when the Doctor and I were reunited after three years apart." She winked. "And trust me. What  _actually_  happened was not one of them."

He frowned. "You and he were separated?"

She nodded as a sad look crossed her beautiful face. "With a white wall of impossible between us." She passed a look back to the Doctor, who watched her with a solemn expression. "But. That's over now."

"I am very sorry to hear that," Ulysses offered gently. "I can understand your heartache."

"And just  _think_ ," she cut in with the tiniest of squeals. "After all this time your heartbreak is over. In a few moments we'll be at Borrav, at your summer home, where you will be reunited again!"

He burst forward to clutch tightly at her shoulders with large and calloused hands. "But, child. Look at me!" He released her and stood abruptly. He swept his hands down in the air over his chest and stomach to present his form to her. "I have been in a prison facility for 800 years. I am in not exactly a fine physical specimen to present to that magnificent woman."

"That's debatable," River Song offered with a smirk and a raking look of appraisal up and down the body of the Lord. "I think that you look perfectly delectable."

"River," the Doctor barked suddenly. "That's my Dad. There's nothing …" He winced to say it "… _delectable_  about a man's father. And, might I add, your future father in law."

River rolled her eyes. "Oh. Sweetie. Don't be so mortified." She looked to Rose. "I'm sure Rose agrees that your mum will find him  _very_ …"

"Don't," he begged. "Just. Please. Don't." He pointed to the hallway. "Wardrobe room, Rose. Please take him to the wardrobe room and see if the TARDIS has anything that might be better suited to a Time Lord than the prison blues he’s wearing."

"Say  _please_  and I might."

"I will fall to my knees and beg," he promised. "Please, Rose."

Rose pecked his reddening cheek and hooked her arm around that of her father in law. "Come with me, my Lord. Let's get you all decked out in  _Time Lordy_  attire for your date with the lovely Marissa."

"I will require a hair cut and a shave," he muttered with a scratch of his nails along his jaw.

"Oh, I think that between us, River and I can manage to help with that," Rose offered with a wink.

"Amy will be upset," River said with a laugh. "She'd get a right kick out of this."

The Doctor moaned as he flicked down the lever for materialization at the Summer house. "I'll send her in, then. In the meantime I will advise mother that you've decided that my father requires a makeover before they are to reunite."

Rose pointed to Ulysses. " _His_  decision. Not ours."

Ulysses stood tall and shot a regal look toward his son. "I will present to my beloved as a Lord of Time, my son, not as a convict of Eldirol."

"I really don't think she cares, Dad." He tugged at his ear and slid a look to Rose. "I know I wouldn't have cared if Rose was in a paper bag or a ball gown when I saw her again. Just as long as I saw her again – that's all that mattered to me." His eyes moved back to his father. "And I'd suggest Mother feels very much the same way."

"I, however, feel as though when I see my beloved for the first time in eight centuries that I should look the very best I can inside this regeneration." He dropped his brows into a frown of consideration. "Or should I go into a voluntary regeneration and become a whole new man embarking upon a whole new life?"

Rose blinked quickly. " _Voluntary?_  You can  _choose_ to regenerate?"

"Yes we can," the Doctor answered somewhat harshly. "Or we can be forced into it by order of the Council of Lords. But no one is regenerating. Not in  _my_  TARDIS, and  _not_  on a whim. Understood?"

"Tetchy much?"

He pointed an exasperated finger to the hallway. "Now. Please?"

~~oooOOOooo~~

They'd only actually been in the wardrobe room for ten minutes before Amy flew in through the door and skidded across the floor with enough speed to slide directly into the wall. She panted as she steadied her footing.

"I heard there was some girlie stuff happening in here with a makeover on a Time Lord," she managed between breaths. "I hope you didn't start without me!"

Ulysses was seated in a chair with a salon robe wrapped across his chest, and his hair was half wet as Rose spritzed it with a small bottle spray. He quickly leapt to a gentlemanly stand to meet the stunning ginger-haired woman. "My, if you are not the image of my beloved in her second regeneration," he breathed appreciatively as he took her hand in his and pressed a kiss into her wrist. "You must surely be Amy."

She felt the need to curtsy, and did so with a light swoon and giggle. "Well. I hope that the reputation that preceded me was all good."

He released her hand and half bowed as he walked backward to the chair to once again seat and put his hair at the mercy of one Rose Tyler. "I am not one to rely on reputation as the basis for a first impression, my dear." He winked. "Too many times we work to push toward a perceived reputation so as to shield the truth of who we are."

"Kind of like you being reputed as being somewhere above  _hardass task master_  then?"

He gave a booming laugh. "Oh will my son not get past a singular moment where I pushed him a little too hard to achieve a goal."

River Song snorted. "Well that depends, doesn't it?"

"Oh what?"

"On how long exactly this goal of yours took to achieve."

Ulysses merely winked in response. He then raised his eyes as he heard the snip of scissors and watched chunks of sandy blonde hair rain down on his robe. "I pray to the Gods that you know what you're doing, child."

"Got a fair idea," she muttered around a comb held between her teeth. "My mum is a stylist, or  _was_  a stylist anyway."

River scratched at her curls. "Maybe I can get her to touch up my roots when we get back to your universe, Rose." She looked at her reflection in the mirror and sighed. "I just don't get the time to get it done right."

Rose didn't take her eyes off Ulysses' hair. "I don't know that you guys are coming back. As far as I knew, this is the end of the line with us for this little jaunt." She looked to the girls. "I know that  _your_  Doctor is eager to get back to his travels and keep as far away from  _my_  Doctor as possible." She slapped on the Time Lord's shoulder when he jerked at what he was hearing. "Keep still, you, or you'll end up all chunky."

"What do you mean by  _her_  Doctor and  _your_  Doctor?" He seemed rather confused. "And  _universes_?"

Rose chuckled. "Oh. Would you like to hear the Earth-girl version; or would you like to hear the Time Lord version?"

"I expect that the Time Lord version would take some time," he said with a smirk. "We do tend to get quite wordy when making explanations."

"Ha!" Amy belched from behind a clothing rack. "Finally, a Time Lord who  _gets_ it!" she pulled an outfit from the rack and held it out in question to Ulysses. He shook his head. She shrugged. "Not into jeans and leather, then…"

"No Lord of Time should  _ever_  be found wearing denim and leather," he admonished with disgust. "Any Lord caught in such attire should be immediately stripped of his title."

Rose snicker-snorted. "Doctor number nine rocked Leather and Denim, just so you know." She flicked her fingers, covered in cut hair and threaded into scissors, toward the suits. "There's a nice pair of navy blue trousers and a grey/blue plaid sport coat that'd make a sexy ensemble."

"Tell me about duplicate Doctors and alternate Universes please," Ulysses ordered quietly. "I would much rather not be blindsided by identical telepathic signatures between my children as I was with my wife and my daughter in law." He looked to her. "I will require answers on  _that_ , also."

"Where to start," Rose breathed. She looked to River.

River Song shrugged. "This is actually your story to tell, Rose. I wasn't there for that bit of genius Time Lord trickery."

"Right," Rose muttered. "Then you find our man some shoes and I'll regale with a story of a Time Lord and his companion and a Biological Time Lord Human Meta Crisis."

Ulysses flicked his hand up into his hair to ask Rose to stop for a moment, and spun his head to glare at her with question. "A Meta Crisis," he barked. "My son was in such peril that he required a meta crisis event to survive it?"

"Well,' Rose huffed with amusement. "At least I don't have to explain  _that._ "

"Oh yes you do," he snarled unintentionally. "While the possibility of a meta crisis event has been speculated, none has ever actually been noted to have occurred. The circumstances required to trigger such are quite horrific." He frowned. "And paired with a human, no less. Simply impossible."

Rose sighed. She put her hand on his shoulder and squared him back up to continue cutting his hair. "It was quite horrific."

"Then you must tell me."

Rose slapped her tongue against the roof of her mouth, and was surprised to have River Song hand both she and Ulysses a glass filled with white wine. "Where'd you?"

"TARDIS likes me, I think." She held up her own glass. "And don't worry yourself, Rosie, TARDIS provided you with the non-alcoholic stuff. I guess she likes you, too."

"TARDIS  _loves_  me." She blew the walls a kiss. "Don't you, sweetheart."

"I believe that I may have developed a bit of a crush on the beautiful girl, myself," Ulysses said with a smile and a wink as he held up his glass in salute. "A toast to the majesty of the beautiful sentient time ship."

"Watch it, Sailor," Rose teased. "The Blue Box is taken."

"I sail not, dear child," he defended with a grin. "But I do enjoy a good tale of adventure, so do continue with your tale of heartbreak and meta-crisis events."

"Okay. So." She cleared her throat. "Cliff's notes version is this. "The Daleks, aka the tin cans of hate and destruction, were destroying whole planets with this weapon called the reality bomb. They had moved all these 27 planets to form a kind of circuit that would allow their weapon to systematically destroy everything. All of reality. Everything"

Ulysses shuddered. "Sounds like something they'd do."

"Anyway. So the Doctor was called to Earth by his ex-companions to help out."

Amy walked from beyond the clothing racks with the items suggested by Rose. "If I recall this story right, you and the Doctor had been separated for a few years, right?"

Rose nodded sadly. "Which is the catalyst for all of this, I suppose."

"How were you separated?" Ulysses asked gently.

She combed at Ulysses hair with distraction. "Back during another run in with the Daleks, only this time paired with a hoard of Cybermen. The Doctor had determined that the only course of action we could take was to send them through into the void. Long story short, I lost my grip and ended up in a parallel universe with no way of being able to return. We lost each other, and I wanted to just die."

"You don't wish to relive that moment even in tale, do you, Rose?"

She shook her head as her eyes closed over tears. "None of it. Not the fall, not the pain or the struggle to return, none of it."

He took her hand and pressed his lips gently to her wrist. "Such trials make us who we are. They tell us who we are supposed to become, who we need to be, and what it is we need most in our lives. For you, I expect, it was my son's hearts that you yearned for."

"It's so much more than that," she breathed sadly. "God. I don't know how I got through those first months. I was completely destroyed."

"And was it he who found you again?"

She shook her head. "No. I came back to him. I worked with Torchwood on the Dimension Canon and made it back to my universe and my Doctor."

"Stronger and more capable, yes, child?"

Rose nodded.

"It was a trial that you needed to take, then."

"I suppose," she acquiesced. "It took a lot of work to finally reach him, though. There was so much I had to do first to make sure that his timelines remained intact, and … woah. So much."

"Oh, the hard work only makes the end product so much more worth it," he offered. "Listen to the wise old Time Lord. I know from experience."

"Oh, shut up," she breathed with a soft laugh as she finished the cut and raked her nails in his hair to artfully mess it up. "Anyway. So. When we were finally on the same planet, in the same time, on the same bloody street, we ran. Oh," she sighed wistfully. "Like he and I always do, we ran. Ran as fast as we could toward each other. Like a romance novel, running across a great expanse to finally be in each other's arms."

Ulysses actually sighed a wistful romantic sigh himself. "Ahhh. As it is in all of the greatest love stories."

"Except those stories don't have the hero get shot by a Dalek before he can get to the one he loves," Amy offered with a growl. "It couldn't wait a single bloody minute to let you both have that moment, could it?"

Rose smirked ruefully. Ulysses was mortified. "My son was shot by a Dalek?" He frowned. "And so, after such time apart, you weren't to have and to hold the same face, you were to watch him go through a regeneration and change into a different man?"

"Yeah," Rose muttered with a sheepish scratch of her head. "That's were things get pear shaped. A few years previous, right after a regeneration, he got his hand cut off by a Sycorax General. For some reason, when he got it back he kept it in the console room."

"Seems as good a place as any, I suppose." Ulysses rolled his eyes and took a sip from his glass as he was pulled from the chair and had the robe and his shirt pulled off him. Amy and River set about dressing him. "Do be gentle, ladies. It has been a while since I have been in the presence of females, especially ones as beautiful as yourselves, and whilst I do have the utmost control over my facilities, slips may occur. But I will assure you that I will endeavor to be the perfect gentleman." He looked back to rose with a light flush across his cheeks. "Do continue."

Rose sighed. "So. We got him back to the TARDIS, and he started to regenerate. I selfishly begged him not to, and so he didn't."

"Pardon me?"

"He used the regeneration power to heal himself, but didn't need to change, so he redirected the energy to his hand." She paused to sip at the wine again. She could see three sets of eyes watching her now, and knew that this was the first time that the story had made it this far for any of them. "Okay. So. Aborted regeneration and now his hand all charged up with Artron energies in the TARDIS console room."

"Go on."

"Then we got captured by the Daleks and the TARDIS was transported to the Dalek Crucible. Jack, the Doctor and I made it off the TARDIS, but Donna got trapped in there. The Daleks then dropped the TARDIS into the heart of the Crucible, and forced the Doctor to watch as the Z-Neutrino energies destroyed the TARDIS with Donna still inside it."

"Oh hell, Rose," River breathed sympathetically. "Poor Doctor."

"He was completely distraught," she breathed. "He had such a tight hold of my hand that I thought he was going to break it. He watched as his two best friends in the universe were destroyed right in front of him. He was helpless to do anything about it." She cleared her throat and drained the rest of her glass in one gulp. She wasn't surprised to see River Song immediately appear at her side to refill it. "Thanks, hon. Anyway. So I don't know the exact details of what happened on the TARDIS, but from what I can gather, as the TARDIS was dying, Donna touched the hand and the regeneration energies created a new Doctor, who then managed to save the TARDIS."

Amy Finished doing up the buttons on Ulysses' shirt and stepped back to admire the look. "And, then the original Doctor – after the day was saved – then took the two of you back to the parallel universe and left the two of you on the beach to begin your new lives together."

"And I couldn't be happier that he did," Rose said quickly before the full facts of Bad Wolf Bay could be revealed. "I love my domestic life with my Meta Crisis Doctor and wouldn't change a single thing."

"Well," Ulysses said finally. "That's quite the story. You've mentioned a few run-ins with unfriendly races." He cleared his throat. "Is that what my son's life has become; getting into trouble with beings from other planets?"

All three ladies answered in the affirmative.

"Interesting to know," he murmured flatly as he strode to the mirror to appraise the work of three women wanting to make sure that he looked his very best. He preened and posed a little as he checked himself out. He even went so far as to suck in his belly and puff out his chest. "Not too bad. I believe that I scrub up rather well."

"Time Lord perfection," Amy boasted as she rolled up onto her toes and leaned her elbow on his shoulder. She looked incredibly uncomfortable, and even as tall as she was, it took effort to maintain the stance. "My you're a tall one, aren't you?"

"Quite short in this regeneration, actually," he admitted. Then he frowned. "I wore a different face when Marissa saw me last." He checked out the line of his jaw and the set of his ears in the mirror. "I do believe she'll approve."

"I really don't think she will care either way," River urged with a smile. "All she wants to hear you say is that you love and miss her. She won't care what you look like."

"But as a Lord of Time, I do have a certain image to uphold."

Amy gave a sharp laugh at that. "Oh. You've gotto tell your son that. His dress sense is absolutely atrocious! Hideous!"

Ulysses put his hands on his hips in an invitation for the girls to hook their arms through. He then frowned lightly. "I only have two arms, but I have three beautiful women to escort. What am I to do about that?"

Rose waved them off and stretched as though exhausted. "There's no quandary, Ulysses. I need to clean up a little in here, and I'm pretty tired so I might rest for a bit. You can escort River and Amy outside. I'm sure that Marissa will love it."

"Are you sure, Rose?"

"Very. Now scoot," she urged with a sweep of both hands in the air ahead of her. "Go and be with the woman you love. She's waited for you for long enough, don't keep her waiting any longer."

Ulysses gave a dramatic bow, a wink. "I will send my son in to embrace you as you rest."

River let up a teasing laugh. "My dear Ulysses. If you send the Doctor in, poor Rose will never get any rest."

He took a moment to consider that, and let bellowed out a hearty laugh. "So he is his father's son, after all. I am thrilled to hear that."

Rose shook her head as she watched them leave. She finally let her faked smile drop and let her head hang dejectedly as she considered just what was coming next for she and her Doctor. She knew his plan was to part ways with everyone before returning to her Universe, but wasn't quite sure how he would put that plan into action.

River was very insistent there would be no separation until after the threat was neutralized, and she wasn't a girl that she could see this universe's Doctor disagreeing with. Marissa would insist – after all, it was her parallel now too – and that meant that the Doctor's father would also follow.

Six Time Lords going up against the Torchwood board of twenty. Six Lords, three men, three women, all serious and brooding, up against an entire building of gun wielding soldiers. Who would be the most terrifying?

Simple. Very simple.

One Time Lord alone was a formidable and terrifying enemy to have, even without a weapon. An entire family of them..?

Hell on a stick and then some.

She sighed softly to herself and toed off her pumps as she padded across the floor toward her TARDIS bedroom, and the shower that practically sang to her right now.

She shucked off her top and pants and walked into the shower before she'd even removed her underwear. The TARDIS filtered her favourite music through the bathroom and Rose let herself melt into the shower stream and the glorious hot steam.

On the floor, buried inside the pocket of her pants, her cellphone buzzed angrily for attention. Text message after text message flashed upon the screen in an urgent cry for help from the Tyler mansion.

 


	66. Aa Time Lord Love Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ulysses reminisces about meeting and falling in love with his life .... and them promptly embarrasses both versions of his youngest son when he finally reunites with the love of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was originally going to dump this entire chapter ... but then I read it over and thought "Nah. I think I'll keep it."
> 
> It's not for everyone, of course. It's mainly Ulysses and Marissa. Team TARDISes don't come in until the end of the chapter.
> 
> I hope you enjoy... Ta!

The last time that Ulysses had laid eyes upon his beautiful wife, she was into her third century as his Lady of time, but was still in her original incarnation. She was still magnificent in his eyes, with long curled, fire-red hair that had a light touch of grey at the roots. Marissa still had youthful eyes that were a shattering emerald green, and brilliant, luminescent skin that held a smattering of light freckles. Though the years had aged her, she still held the beauty that had captivated him on that tiny little green planet spinning hundreds of light years from his home.

He'd found his beautiful wife on an exploration mission when he was into his second regeneration and his fourth century. A handsome young man he was back then. Tall, dark, mysterious and adventurous, he was one of the most sought after bachelors upon Gallifrey. Despite a veritable unending array of beauties vying to be tied to him, he had scoffed at the notion of settling down. He refused the demand that he take himself a bride given to him by the Lord Council in their never ending efforts to keep peace across the Houses of the Lords and perfect their genetic pool.

Many potential wives had been offered to the strapping young explorer and fierce warrior, but none were of a caliber that would make him wish to settle. He insisted to the Lords that he must continue to explore, observe, and answer to Gallifrey's call when needed, and unless they could find him a Gallifreyan bride willing to spend their marriage on a TT capsule exploring the universe, then he would continually deny their offers.

After a century of trying, they eventually gave up to let him continue the good work of monitoring the universe and sharing his learned insights with Council.

His landing on Earth had been the result of a forced deviation from his original flight plan, due to an ailing TT Capsule that needed recovery time. He desired an immediate return to Gallifrey with the intent to merely rest and recuperate after a taxing mission near Saturn, but his TT Capsule simply couldn't make the flight through the Vortex. He had to let his ship recover, to rest, and to heal before he could consider returning.

His beloved ship was already tiring after almost a decade of travelling non-stop between planets, and needed rest, but they had to respond to a call from Council. His TT Capsule had intercepted a hypercube from Arcadia regarding an unidentified signal from the planet's surface, which was interfering with a Kasterborian settlement ship's navigation systems. The ship and her occupants were in danger of being sucked into the meteoric rings of Saturn and would not only have been destroyed, but the resulting explosions and destruction of several moons surrounding Saturn would have alerted the inhabitants of Earth of the existence of life on other planets. It was too early in their time line for that. Earth was still so young, and so very naïve. It would have destroyed and decayed their already fragile existence. The Time Lords could not allow such a primitive race the encouragement to rush for universal exploration, and so Ulysses had been tasked with solving the quandary as quietly and efficiently as possible.

A resulting battle against a race of humanoid warriors setting themselves up to invade and then destroy planet Earth was waged. Ulysses was armed with nothing but a protective sentient TT Capsule and a handful of rarely used firearms, but the lone Time Lord and his ship were the victors. He destroyed the army on Saturn, and his ship destroyed their technology. The settlement ship safely continued on its original path.

Ulysses did not.

Bruised and battered, he landed his ailing TT Capsule in a small Irish town called Kinsale, and licked at his wounds as he contemplated his return to his home planet to rest before he and his ship moved out to begin a new mission.

It was while his ship recovered and he stepped out of his Capsule to explore the tiny town that he caught sight of her. A fire-haired maiden wearing a full-length, long sleeved white slip, covered by a stunning green skirted bodice that laced in front with a deep brown string of leather. Her eyes shone a green more brilliant than any green he'd seen before on any planet in any time. Her skin was so brilliantly white, pure and perfect. She was a doll made from the most precious porcelain. Perfection. Hers was an image that would remain seared into his mind for all of eternity.

She didn't notice him standing beside what looked to be twisted and burred old tree as he watched her even though he had failed to use his perception filter to hide in plain sight. Even though her eyes did pass by him as she spun joyfully in the street, she didn't appear to even see him. She certainly didn't seem to notice anything as she walked onto a cobbled road with her head held high and her hand shielding her eyes from the sun as she looked into the sky with a smile of awe upon her beautiful face.

How she had not heard the approach of a horse-driven coach, he didn't know. The click clack of hooves, and the thundering rattle of wooden wheels on a cobbled road was unmistakable … And it was heading straight toward her.

Ulysses didn't allow himself the luxury of second thought as he launched from his place beside his cloaked ship. He didn't take heed of the Council laws that stated implicitly that he was not to interfere in anything on any other planet without being issued direct orders from Arcadia.

The only thing that was on the Time Lord's mind was to pull this woman to safety; to keep his vision of her pure and untainted by the death and blood promised at the hooves of a pair of exhausted horses and their cart.

With little else on his mind, the Time Lord burst into the street and hooked a strong arm around the waist of the maiden. He spun them both as though dancing a waltz across the street, and then held her firm as her feet found purchase on the road and she steadied her breathing.

"Oh my Lord," she panted to her deity in a shaking breath as she watched the carriage rattle loudly past. She looked back to Ulysses with wide eyes of wonder and of appreciation of his help. "You saved me."

He let his arms fall from her waist and bowed lightly. "Lord Ulysses at your service, my fair one." He looked up to her as she timidly giggled into her hand, and graced her with a warm smile. "While this is an unusual manner by which to introduce myself to a Lady so lovely, I believe it to be memorable enough that you won't forget your handsome saviour."

She gave a quick and sheepish little curtsy, and battered impossibly long lashes at him. She held her hand toward him, which he took to press a light kiss upon her wrist. "My. Aren't we a humble one?"

"Sarcasm is not becoming of a lady." He chided while he offered her a playful wink. "Will you honour your savior the pleasure of knowing your name, my Lady?"

"I'm Marissa," she supplied as she took her hand from his grasp and held onto it against her belly. "And while I'm flattered you think so, I'm not a Lady, not any form of royalty, actually. Just a maiden distracted by the beauty of the world that surrounds us."

Ulysses set his hands on his hips and drew in a deep breath as he looked to the horizon, where the blue of the ocean met with the blue skies over Ireland. "I understand the distraction. This is a beautiful land." His eyes fell to look at her. "As are her maidens. I believe that I became somewhat distracted, myself, when my eyes captured the vision of you, a goddess of fire in a land of green."

She had to giggle at him. "Oh you do come on strong, don't you, my Lord?"

"When a man has searched his entire existence, worlds after worlds, to find the one he feels might be the one who can tame his beating hearts, how can he not?"

Marisa laughed. "So self assured, aren't you, Lord? The result of a privileged upbringing no doubt."

"It would be my privilege," He dropped into a bow and extended his hand to her in invitation. "If you would do me the honour of escorting your saviour to dinner."

She politely declined him that first request. She also denied him a second one a day later. She held on to rebuff his requests to court her a further three times.

His planned one week in Kinsale extended to two, and once Marissa had finally acquiesced and accompanied him on a walk and a picnic in the country side, Ulysses had extended his stay for a month.

It was several months into their courtship before Ulysses received the call from the Council to return to Gallifrey, yet after several months he didn't want to return. Not unless Marissa was at his side when he did.

It was on one brilliant moonlit evening, as they sat together on a stone wall sharing an ale from a worn glass flagon that he dared to offer her all of space and time and admit that her Lord Ulysses was not a Lord of Earth.

He and the Council of Lords might arrogantly cite that  _Time Lords do not feel fear_  in order to bring fear to those who might look to bring Gallifrey to harm, but the truth of it was that he was terrified. Terrified of the rejection of the woman he had fallen in love with from the moment he held her across her waist to pull her from danger. Terrified that both of his hearts would shatter and die when she turned her back on him and walked out of his life forever.

Terrified, yes? But he held out enough hope that she may accept him and say yes that it gave him the courage to ask the question.

"My darling Marissa," he cooed softly as he watched her wipe the ale from her lip after taking a draw from their bottle. "I have something I must ask of you, and it is something that will change both of our lives."

She grinned a wide, white smile. "My Lord. Is this to be a proposal?" She tucked her fiery red hair behind her ear and then slapped him lightly on the shoulder. "My sisters have wondered when you would fall to your knee and ask my hand."

He had to consider that for a moment. He let his mind work through the rituals of Earth known to Gallifrey with a single brow raised high and his eyes raised. The image of a marriage proposal finally came to mind, and he let out a small laugh of realization. "Oh. So I must fall to my knee, my love?"

She laughed a gay chuckle and stroked at his chin. "My Lord. How else does a man show a woman how he has fallen for her if he isn't on a knee before her?"

"Well," he chuffed with a quick puff of his chest as he rose from the small stone wall. He actually wiped at his knees before he fell to them both on the grass in front of her. He took her hands in his and looked up adoringly at her. "My darling, Marissa. Maiden of Kinsale, and the holder of my beating hearts."

"Why do you always use plural when referring to your heart…"

"Are you going to let me do this, Marissa," he teased lightly. "Or are you going to continually interrupt as a man falls to his knees at your feet and implores you to agree to become his wife?"

"Well," she giggled. "When you put it  _that_  way. Go right ahead."

He rolled his eyes and climbed to his feet. "You can be most infuriating, my maiden. If I didn't love you so…"

She leaned forward to brush his knees free of grass blades and then rose to stand before him. "I would be glad for you to take my hand and become your wife," she promised as she slid her arms around his waist and pressed a kiss against the side of his mouth. "My Lord."

He grinned a tight smile as he clutched her to his chest and lifted her lightly off the ground. "My Lady."

Held in his arms, with her feet off the ground, Marissa circled her arms around his neck. She looked down into his face as his neck craned up to look at her. "If we are to marry," she breathed finally. "Will you take me from Kinsale? Will you show me the world?"

He lowered her feet to the ground and relaxed his hold upon her waist. His ancient eyes glimmered in the moonlight as he stepped back from her and then took her hand in his. "Marissa. I will do better than show you the world." He tugged her in a demand for her to follow him. "Come with me. Be by my side. And I will show you all of time and space."

Marissa followed him, her hand in his as he led them to the twisted and burred old tree that stood at the side of the road in which they'd met. Her eyes widened and she paused stiff in his hold when Ulysses snapped his fingers and the trunk opened two doors to let them inside.

"What is this," she asked in a small voice as she tugged her hand from his. "Are. Are you a sorcerer?"

He felt pain at the emptiness of his hand as she released him and reached out to grab at her again. "I am not a sorcerer," he vowed quietly.

She stepped back a single stride and held her hands to her chest to escape his touch. "Then who are you? How can you command a tree to open to you with a snap of your fingers?" She gulped. "That has to be sorcery."

He licked unsuredly at his lip and bowed his head remorsefully. "I have not been honest with you."

She took another stride back. "You've lied to me?"

His head shot up, but he dared not move to approach her. "Not lied, per se," he defended. "I may have omitted some rather important facts about who I am, but I never once lied to you."

"Are you even a Lord?"

He nodded quickly. "I am. I am a Lord, Marissa. Just not a Lord of Earth."

She hiccupped in response and her hands rose from her chest to her mouth to cover her gasp. "What do you mean  _not of Earth_? Are you…?"

"I am a Lord of Time," he said quickly.

"Of what?"

He held her hand to her again, desperate for her to take it. "Come with me, Marissa. Come with me and I will show you who I am, where I come from, and show you all that you want to see."

She looked at his hand, but shook her head as she backed off yet again. "Who are you?"

"Do you trust me," he begged.

"How can I," she shot back with a sob. "How can I, when you have not been honest with me?"

"Do you trust me,' he begged again.

"I…"

"Put your faith in a man who would die a dozen deaths to prove his love for you, and please. Trust me." He stepped toward her, emboldened when she didn't step back from him. "My offer of marriage and eternal love still stands. I will show you all of time and space and make sure that you never want for anything." He sagged in desperation in front of her. "If you leave me now, you will break my hearts and I shall wither and die a lonely man."

She looked up tearfully at him as he stood before her. "Who are you?"

"I am the man who loves you," he promised. "The man who always will." He held his hand to her. "Come with me."

She looked down at the hand she'd held so many times over the last few months. "Promise me that your love isn't a lie, Ulysses. Promise me and I'll follow you."

He slowly raised his hands to her face and let them settle on her tear stained cheeks as he looked into her eyes. "Let me prove it to you. Let me show you how I feel."

She cupped her hands over his. "How do you intend to do that?"

"Like this," he breathed as he dropped his head and pressed his lips against hers. As his fingers moved to touch at her temples, Ulysses initiated a bridge between their minds and let his every fear, hope, pleasure and pain wash cross that bridge. He shared who he was, who he is, and who he would prove to be if she would only take his hand and follow him.

He finally broke contact with her mind, but kept the touch of his mouth against hers, too frightened to pull away in fear this would be their first and final connection. "Come with me, my love," he finally murmured against her mouth. "Take my hand and join me in my journeys through all of time and space."

Marissa released his mouth and leaned back only enough to be able to look up into his ancient and lost grey eyes. Her own green eyes shimmered with tears. "Yes, my love," she whispered softly. "I will."

She did. She took his hand and never let go. Not until the day their worlds were torn apart by the arrival of the red and white robed Council Guards to take him to Eldirol. His last vision of his beautiful wife was of her sobbing and begging for them not to take him from her. His beloved Marissa, his strength and his passion, reduced to a crumbled mess on the floor of their Gallifrey home.

His final words to her were the promise that he would love her for all of eternity. Hers was a promise that they would be together again, regardless of Rassilon's orders.

And as usual, his beloved was right. Determined as always, she made sure that her promise was kept…

…Because Marissa's vows were eternal. If a promise left her beautiful lips, she would destroy all of time and space to make sure that she kept it.

And now, only mere moments until he was to be reunited with his beloved wife, only steps from the doorway which would lead him to her, and he began to panic once more.

"Ladies," he pleaded pitifully as his feet skidded to a stop at the top of the stairs to the home's patio. "Tell me. Am I a good enough man for her?"

Amy encouraged him with a stroke of his arm. "Of course you are."

"Am I," he repeated. "After eight hundred years locked in a prison cell, will I still know what it takes to be all that I was before we were taken from each other?"

"I think it's a bit like riding a bike," River offered with the tiniest of growls in her voice. "It's not something you ever really  _forget."_

"I don't think he's talking  _nookie_ ," Amy suggested, but then quickly rolled her eyes. "Well, yeah, okay, probably a bit of that. But…"

Marissa's chiding voice thundered from the doorway. "You're late, husband. Have you forgotten that I don't like to be kept waiting?"

Ulysses paused for only a moment as he let his eyes capture the vision of his beloved standing at the doorway of their Summer home on Borrav. She had seemed to have aged in perfect symmetry to himself. Greying hair, lines around her mouth and eyes, a light sag to her neck, and the aged solidness of her waist.

…But she never looked more beautiful to him.

He immediately released Amy and River with a rushed and hurried shake of his arms. He offered distracted apology for his roughness in letting them go but barely got the words out before he was upon his wife, clutching her hands tightly inside his.

"Marissa."

She brought her hand to his face and let the backs of her fingers graze down his cheek. "How I have missed you, my Lord."

"Not as much as I have you, my beautiful maiden."

"Beware the sugar shock," she warned him gently as she rolled up onto her toes and pressed her lips against his. "Forget the words, Ulysses, and just kiss me."

Her mouth captured his more possessively, and immediately, Ulysses' tentative hold upon her snapped to absolute possessiveness. He locked his thick arms around her small frame to haul her tightly against him and drank in the incredible sweetness of her kiss. Eight hundred years of desolation and pain fueled the tightness in his hold and the passion of their kiss, and he intended never to let her go.

A complete re-ignition of their marital bond exploded from within him, and Ulysses found himself brought to his knees at the intensity of it. He panted and wrapped his arms around Marissa's hips, and then dissolved completely at her feet.

He sobbed for eight centuries of separation from his beloved. He sobbed for her struggle to continue without him. He sobbed for the loss of his family, of his home, but most of all he wept for the gift of being able to hold her once again.

The brothers Doctor looked upon the reunion of their parents with misted eyes that felt the pain of their separation. The both understood the heartbreak of their parents, and had felt the pain with their own losses.

Fearing a breakdown of their own, both men turned away to offer their parents a little privacy, and found themselves met with the twinkling and teasing eyes of Eleven's two female companions.

"Awwwww," Amy sang lightly. "Are we getting a little teary, boys?"

"Time Lords don't get  _teary,_ " Eleven admonished as bravely as he could given that he was most definitely over the cusp of teary right now.

"Oh, just a little dust then," River Song teased as she offered him a tissue.

"Indeed," he mumbled with a look of desperation toward his brother. "Isn't that right, Brother?"

"Nope," Ten answered back with an exaggerated pop in the P. "I'm a mess. I'll admit it. This is absolutely beautiful to watch." His face creased. "I could really do with a hug. Where's my wife?  Where’s Rose?"

"Asleep, so leave her be. She's completely fried." River warned him as she slid her arm around his shoulder in a supportive hug. "But I'll hug you, you romantic and sappy lump of Time Lord." She dropped her head on his shoulder. "You did a good thing, Doctor. I'm so glad you invited us along to be part of this."

"Thank you for being here," he choked as he tightened his arm around her and took advantage of the hug she offered. "Couldn't have managed it without you."

A shocked hiccup from Eleven took their attention from their embrace, and they separated quickly. Ten looked guiltily to his brother and scratched at the back of his neck. "Sorry, man."

Eleven shook his head. "Uhm. Time to go," he warned with a flick of his head to the door. "I mean. Now."

Ten frowned and looked to his parents, who were now both on their knees on the ground. They each touched their fingers to each other's temples and had their mouths pressed together in a passionate connection.

"By Rassilon,  _really_? Here and now?" He grabbed at River's hand. "I'm with Bowtie. Time to go."

Amy still swooned at the remnants of the reunion and looked to the Doctors with a frown. "Why the urgency. Don't you two want to get in on this and reunite with both your parents?"

They looked at each other with horrified looks. Ten answered her. "No. Just. No. Absolutely. Not. No."

"Why not?" she implored childishly.

"Because  _that_ ," Ten advised. "Is a pretty intimate scene that …" He winced. "She's  _your_  companion I'll let you explain it. But I'm gone." He left with a very amused River Song in tow.

Amy looked to Eleven with horror. "Oh. Tell me it's not…"

He nodded.

"The Time Lord equivalent of…"

He nodded again.

"And they're doing it…"

He nodded again.

Amy shuddered and covered her eyes. "Oh. Crap."

He led her off the balcony and into the living room of the Summer home, where Ten and River had escaped to. He still wore a wince as he swallowed down the image and looked to his brother, who was actually sharing a decent laugh with River Song. "So. Escape to TARDIS is shot for now until they're done. Looks like we're stuck together for a little while longer."

Ten shrugged nonchalantly. "Okay. So how do we kill however long it takes for them to be done so we can all go home?"

River Song flicked her look between them both and folded her arms tightly across her chest. "How about we let pinstripes here explain to us about the trouble back on his Earth." She shot a finger toward him in warning that he not argue. "I don't care what words are about to come spilling out of your mouth to suggest that you and Rose can handle it. I'm not going to let you to go it alone. If I have to hitch hike on your machine, I will."

"No need," Eleven said with a sigh. "Mother knows, she'll tell Dad, they'll make it a family outing, no doubt." He looked to his brother. "Sorry, but you're not going to be given the choice."

"Which also means…"

"It'll be something for the history books."

 


	67. The Threat at Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ulysses gets the story of just why all of them are together and just what dangers await his children on the other side of a dimensional wall.
> 
> The Doctor gets mad...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last one for the day...

The Meta Crisis Doctor wasn't exactly thrilled to be cornered by his Time Lord Brother and his three companions in the living room of their parent's Summer Home. He felt sorely outnumbered by the looming foursome and their nagging and annoying interrogation techniques. He found himself looking toward the doorway a hundred more times than once as he either wished for the arrival of his wife so she could take up arms at his side, and considered several poorly thought out plans of escape that would have him launch up over the back of the chair, barrel out through the door, leapfrog over his parents, and then torpedo himself into his TARDIS to escape.

…  _inhale_  …

The one glaringly foreseeable problem with escape by TARDIS, however, was that his Brother was a perfectly capable TARDIS pilot and he'd no doubt have the old girl follow the younger TARDIS' Artron signature and land them at the same time that he dematerialized his own ship and the interrogation would continue on a much more hostile scale…

…  _exhale_  …

That was a mouthful to get out – even if it was said in his mind.

"I pray to all that is holy that none of you ever take up law enforcement," he finally growled as he slumped into himself on an armchair to the side of a couch. "Because with those interrogation techniques you'd never get anyone to talk."

Eleven flopped heavily onto the couch beside him and slouched deeply into the cushions. He analysed the pick on his finger against a protruding knot in the fabric on the arm rest and shrugged. "Amy was a cop when I met her … the  _second_  time."

Amy reddened. Rory laughed. "She wasn't a cop, Doctor."

He held a brow high as he looked between them both. "Okay. She was  _dressed_  like one and could certainly act the part."

"She was a kissagram."

Ten took that opening and ran with it. He leaned forward in his chair with eyes wide and fascinated as he leaned his elbows on his knees and grinned. "And  _how_  did you feel about that profession, Rory? Knowing that she was kissing other men. As her future husband of course."

Rory looked a little sheepish and ducked his head toward his shoulder as he stuttered to find an answer. "Well. We weren't actually…"

"No, Rory," Amy barked on a shrill voice. "Don't let him change the subject." She pointed an accusing finger at him. "Don't you think that I don't know what you're up to, you sneaky Time Lord."

"I'm not up to anything," he assured with a rather believable expression of hurt in his eyes. "I am merely interested in the companions my brother has chosen for himself and would like to learn all I can about them."

Eleven gave a snort at that. Amy shushed him with a glare. "Is that so? Then how about, when we have all gone back to your universe and have taken out this threat against your wife, we all sit down by the fire pit on your patio and regale you with all of our life stories?"

"Oh-Kay," he breathed carefully. "We can do that." His careful and guarded demeanour suddenly shifted and he plastered on a hyper grin that seemed to energize his entire body. "But why wait? We have so little time in this universe to just sit and share all that we are to each other. I can't wait a moment longer to hear the whole story of who is Amy Pond and how she managed to find her luck so sodden that she ended up on a TARDIS with  _him_."

"I truly resent what you're implying," Eleven muttered darkly.  His eyes flashed to the doorway, where his parents stood in watch of their sons. "Oh, are the both of you done with mortifying you children with behaviour most unbecoming of Lords and Ladies of Time?"

"There is nothing unbecoming about it, my son," Ulysses lectured as he led his wife into the room and scooted Eleven to the edge of the couch so they could join them. "I expect that you've engaged in much the same yourself at one time or another."

"Never in front of others," he snapped back morosely. "That's supposed to be a private thing."

Rory looked quite confused. He leaned toward Amy seated beside him on the couch opposite. "What'd they do? When I saw them they were just kissing. Nothing wrong with that."

Amy leaned in to whisper her response in his ear. Both Eleven and Ten watched with interest as his expression shifted through several phases to finally settle on completely horrified. They both looked at each other with a one-sided grin of satisfaction.

"Hold on," Rory said with an uncomfortable cough. 'So they were. That's how. I saw. I actually stood and watched for a few seconds. And that's?"

"Yeah to all," Amy drawled with a smirk. "You should have seen the lads, they were both completely mortified."

"I guess if you know what it is, yeah. You probably would be. Noone likes to know that their parents actually  _do it._ " He rubbed at his chin. "But are you sure they were?" He saw the satisfied and preening smirk of Ulysses and started to chuckle. "Well. Good for you, old chap. I have to remark that it kind of lacked the fun of our human variety, but at least you wouldn't have to find yourself a  _room_  when the urge hits."

"Charming," Amy growled with her hand covering her face in embarrassment.

"There is nothing wrong with love and the methods by which it is made, young daughter," Ulysses said with a laugh. "I would hope that it's practiced by all who feel the love of another."

"Can we please change the subject," she implored through her hand. "Can we get back to Pinstripes and the threat against his wife?"

Ulysses straightened immediately. His eyes snatched across the room to land upon his Son. "What's this? Is your Rose under threat?"

"It's nothing that we can't deal with on our own, Dad," he assured gruffly. "Rose and I have been threatened more times that we can count, and we've always managed to get ourselves out safely."

"But if I recall," Eleven added. "When you were me and we got into those threatening situations, we sometimes only got out by sheer luck."

"We still came through it," he gruffed in response. "And we always will."

"But this is  _Torchwood_ ," Eleven warned angrily. "Torchwood were designed specifically because of the two of you. They are the sole reason that the two of us separated to begin with. Additionally, they were also the cause of  _you_."

"Try and say that with less disgust, will you?"

Eleven wiped his hand down his face and leaned forward. He regarded his brother with a tired, but urging stare. "Look. I know you as well as you know yourself. I know just what kind of man you turn into when Rose is threatened. You lose it. You become dangerous." He sighed. "I became unrecognizable when I lost her, and I made mistakes. Big ones. I did things that went wrong. So wrong."

"I know," he breathed. "I was you for most of it."

"And have you changed?"

Ten pressed his lips tightly together and shook his head. "Not really."

"Then give me this, Brother. Give me one last chance to be Rose's Doctor and let me help."

"We will all assist," Ulysses ordered gently. "If a threat is made upon a member of Lungbarrow, then they threaten the entire house." He straightened up in his chair, a soldier readying to formulate the battle strategy. "This  _Torchwood_  threat of yours doesn't know what hive they've disturbed."

"That would be  _nest_ , darling," Marissa corrected softly.

"Nest, dear? Oh yes. Nest, with the hornets."

Marissa set her hand on her husband's knee and looked toward Ten. "Can you share with us the information shared by Pete when he phoned?" She looked to Ulysses and felt the need to explain. "Pete is the name of Rose's father. He is a fine and proud man who I am sure you will admire."

"Thank you, Dear, I'm sure that I will. And her mother?"

"Jackie. Such a lovely women she is." She shot a glare to Eleven at his derisive snort. "She is a caring and protective mother; and one of whom I admire greatly."

"Anyway," he gruffed. "Brother?"

Ten pulled at his ear and then scratched at his sideburn as he recalled the hurried words of warning from Pete. He closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath. "The message that I received from Pete was that the Board had issued a warrant for Rose's capture.  The warrant was to be executed immediately."

"Just Rose?" Eleven questioned.

Ten nodded. "Yep. Not me, not Mother. They specifically want Rose."

"For what reason?" Ulysses queried with a curious tilt of his head. "What is it about Rose that has captured their attentions?"

Ten exhaled a dramatic sigh. "Well. Where do I start with that?" He shared a look with Eleven and then looked back to his father. "Rose is a Time Lady," he began.

"As are you and your mother."

"Yes," he said on a long breath. "But Rose isn't from Gallifrey."

Ulysses raised his head with understanding lightly beginning to dawn. "She is from Earth?"

Ten nodded. "A human who has a Time Lord consciousness and the regenerative powers of the Lords of Gallifrey."

"She's more than that, though,' Eleven offered as he leaned forward in his chair and steepled his fingers under his chin. "Much, much more."

"Bad Wolf," Marissa said with a gasp.

Ulysses raised his hand and looked to his wife. "I understand that I've been out of the loop for quite some time. It would help me greatly to listen to you without interrupting if you would provide me with the liner notes to why Rose is so important to Torchwood."

"I'm kind of interested too," Amy added. "I've seen bits and bobs about who she is, and what she can do, but explanation would help."

Ten nodded. "Back in my ninth incarnation, Rose and I were trapped on a satellite orbiting Earth, which was being used by the Daleks as a harvesting station for humans to create a battlefleet of Daleks." He looked at his father and waved a hand. "Just don't ask."

"I will at a later date, Son. I expect it's quite a tale"

"Yes it is," he replied on a breath. "Anyway. When I saw that we were in a position that was non-survivable, I tricked her into the TARDIS and sent her back home to her Mother."

Amy gasped and bounced in her chair. "Oh. I know this story. She told us about it, right River?" Her grin was wide as she immediately took over. "You sent her back to Earth, but she refused to stay put. She opened the heart of the TARDIS and absorbed the vortex."

Ulysses was aghast. "She did  _what_?"

Ten nodded. "She absorbed the entire Vortex and came back to save me. She destroyed the entire Dalek fleet, including the Emperor with a wave of her hand. Brilliant, but terrifying."

"And Bad Wolf was born," Amy breathed in awe. "And wow, isn't she  _something_?"

"Quite," Ten answered shortly. He then looked to his father. "I took the power from her – well, I thought I had taken it all - and released it back into the TARDIS. But there was some of that vortex that remained inside her. It lay dormant inside her for years until she was attacked by Borusa…"

"Your old professor," Ulysses asked with a growl. "That low down and filthy excrement of a tafelshrew."

Rory snorted. "I don't know why, but I'm going to steal that."

"Then use it wisely, Rory." He looked back to Ten. "So Rose carries within her the power of the Vortex?" He shook his head. "She shouldn't have survived it. Even if you took it all from her, she couldn't have survived it."

"She would survive if she is a time child," Marissa supplied quietly, to which Ulysses gasped.

"Has Time created another?"

Ten nodded. "We believe so."

"Impossible."

"Who else has the power to break the timelock of Kasterborous, my love?" She rolled her eyes at his look of confusion. "We are a century out of our time, my love. You well know that Kasterborous is time locked. We cannot go backward, nor forwards, in time, and yet here we are."

"How have the Time Lords … How has  _Rassilon_  not gone after her?"

Ten winced. "That's a story for another time, Dad."

Eleven looked toward his mother.  “Or you could always-“ he tapped at his temple.  “Help him _remember_.”

Marissa shook her head.  “The memory wasn’t shielded, Son.  It was removed completely.”

Ulysses looked toward his wife with a furrow in his brow.  Marissa gave him an apologetic look.  “I had no choice, my love.  I knew what was ahead of us and I simply couldn’t risk a telepathic attack that would expose her.”  She swallowed hard.  “I’m sorry.”

Ulysses cupped her chin tenderly and shook his head.  “Never apologise for taking the steps needed to protect our family, Marissa.”  His voice cracked lightly.  “The telepathic attacks I endured at Eldirol…”  He winced and lowered his head.  “I.  I can’t imagine…”

Ten and Eleven shifted uncomfortably in their chairs, but stayed silent.

“You will snap out of your distress this instant,” Marissa insisted in a firm voice.  “When our family is in peril, you will not wallow in your own pains.  Am I understood?” 

Rory, River and Amy gasped in surprise at the apparent lack of caring shown by Marissa toward her husband.  The two Doctors knew differently.  Although Marissa’s words were harsh, she held him tightly, supporting him with a tender caress along his arm.

Ulysses quickly lifted his head, cleared his throat, and looked toward his sons.  When he spoke, there was no sorrowful emotion in his tone at all.

"If this is true and Rose is a daughter of time, then she is to be protected." His expression turned worried. "If a civilization holding nefarious intentions were to attempt to harness that power, they would hold the entire universe to hostage." He rubbed at his brow. "The potential ramifications would be terrifying to say the least."

"Fortunately," Ten added quickly, "Torchwood aren't the Lords of Gallifrey. They have no concept at all about what she is, and what she is capable of."

"They just know that she's  _something_  that needs to be studied," Eleven growled. "Damn Humans. They can't leave well enough alone, can they?"

"Hey there, Raggedy man," Amy barked. "You've got humans here, you know."

"Disagree with me then," he challenged sharply. "Tell me I'm wrong."

"Nah. Not gonna do that any time soon." She sighed with a roll of her eyes. "Because we truly  _are_  a stupid race of apes at times."

Ten leaned back in the chair and leaned the side of his head down on his fist. "Pete's warning was that the special ops team had been dispatched and were on route to our home with orders to secure and detain Rose." He winced. "Including specific orders to neutralize me with deadly force if I was to attempt to intervene."

"Which they knew full well that you would."

Ten nodded. "Of course I would. I've died for her before, I wouldn't hesitate to do it again." He punched at the arm of the chair. "Again. And Again. And Again."

"Stupid question," River crooned softly. "But are you going to be okay?"

"No, River. I’m not," he snarled.  "Fucking Torchwood! Rose and I were finally settled. We had our beautiful home, we had a TARDIS, we even had plans to marry – Well, okay, we followed through on that." He closed his eyes. "But, as always in this cruel universe we live in, it all had to get blown apart. All because of a power mad Time Lord who saw a daughter of Time and wanted to harness her power to rise above and become the ultimate leader of the universe. Rassilon be damned."

He wiped at his face and straightened his voice. "After Borusa was defeated," he looked to his mother. "Well. You saw what happened. That was a massive display of raw power."

"What kind of power did she release," Ulysses pressed curiously.

"A double regeneration that brought her back from the dead and birthed a TARDIS," he answered as simply as possible. "Rose had already shown that she had a powerful energy inside her, our combined regeneration just added to it."

"And now they want it," Ulysses growled. "They want to experiment on her and see how they can use that power for their own gain."

"Exactly."

Ulysses frowned. "We can't allow that." He shook his head. "We have to protect her."

Amy leaned forward in the chair. "What about the two of you just stay here in this universe? They can't get to her across the wall."

"They'd go after Pete, Jackie and little Tony," Ten growled. "They'd go after her family and force her to return." His fury was surfacing with horrific intensity and he struggled to remain even slightly calm in front of his family. "There's no telling what will happen if they use her family to get to her." His eyes shifted to Eleven. "You know what she'd do to protect me and you; imagine what she will do to protect her mother."

"She wouldn't hesitate to hand herself over to them."

"Exactly." He rubbed at his brows. "Which means I would have no choice at all but to go in there, rip every single one of them apart.  And while I completely flatten the place, I prove to the entire planet that all aliens – even those who are allies – are completely dangerous."

"Is that your current plan of attack, my son?"

Ten sighed as he looked back to his father. "Pretty much," he admitted. "Honestly, my only thought right now is to storm the front doors of that facility and blow it all to Hell. And while it burns, I want to stand at the pyre roasting marshmallows as I welcome to Earth all Alien invaders who've been waiting for their moment to strike."

Amy snorted a suppressed snicker. Eleven smirked as though in complete agreement. "That sounds like a viable plan to me, Brother. Let's do it."

Ulysses let a brow seat itself high on his forehead and regarded both sons with worry. "We have time to consider much more universal-friendly responses to this threat. While I am most definitely not opposed to a cleverly set round of explosive charges designed to blow a base of operations to smithereens, I do take issue with doing it just for doing's sake."

"Torchwood need to be disbanded and destroyed," Ten growled. "It doesn't matter which universe they're in, they're all power hungry fools who are too poorly equipped to deal with anything that's going to drop in from other worlds." He slouched in his chair. "And they honestly believe that they can harness the Alien technologies that they've scrounged from various field assignments. Foolish. Just plan foolishness. They have no idea what's out there, and it's only been sheer luck that they've had as many successes that they have."

"But they are needed, my son, if threats continue to rise."

He slapped at his chest and sat up straight in his chair. "Which is where I come in. I've spent eight centuries defending countless civilizations with nothing but my wit and my TARDIS." He looked quite disgusted. "I don't need an army of arrogant soldiers ready to play the hot dog."

"No, apparently you just need the one arrogant hot dog," Ulysses growled.

"Then what would  _you_  suggest, _Dad_?"

Ulysses was not impressed at the impudent manner in which his son was talking to him. "I see age hasn't taken your petulance from you, Doctor."

"If anything, it's just gotten worse."

"Thankfully you are able to see it." He let out a long suffering breath. "I take it that Torchwood has a reputation for keeping your planet safe."

Ten merely nodded.

"And so to destroy it would be to tell the world that they no longer have their Alien Police watching their backs and the skies above their heads." He caught his won's wince and knew he was right in his assessment. "So then your option is to take down the board, not the institute."

"I had considered that," Ten offered. "In a moment of clarity, I had considered ways in which Pete and I could take down the Board. Not easy with just the two of us, but…"

"There's six of us," Marissa corrected. "Six Time Lords…"

"Aliens," Ten corrected with a curl of his lip. "Don't forget that's what we are. We can't have an army of Aliens invade Torchwood to try and take it over. The planet would shit itself." He rubbed at the back of his neck, fatigue obvious in his slowed movements and reddening eyes. "Right now, I think we have time to consider a covert takeover movement. I can keep Rose out of their hands for as long as it takes for Pete and I to work through a few options."

"But you have to blow something up," Eleven groused in a whine. "Just on sheer principal alone something has to be completely obliterated."

"Well," Ten drawled with a smirk. "That goes without saying, of course. I have a whole vault full of stolen alien tech that needs incinerating, and the HVAC up on the roof can behave somewhat faulty at times. Wouldn't take too much jiggery pokery to make that go boom in an innocent and believable manner."

Eleven grinned. "I'm already considering the best ways to go about that. Same building design as Canary Wharf?"

"Exactly."

"Oh, the shafts, Brother. The disused elevator shafts! Three of them, if I recall correctly."

Amy looked toward River Song and let out a playful look of annoyance. "And it is with the idea of causing a big bang that the lads of Time start to actually get along."

Ulysses was amused, but kept that from his tone. "My sons. We have time to consider some options. Let us enjoy a meal with the ladies, and then retire to my study where we will be able to discuss what we will do to maintain the stability of your Earth and protect your wife and her family."

A sudden terrified screech of his name from outside on the patio had the Meta Crisis Doctor immediately launch out of his chair. He torpedoed himself past the couch and out of the door with such speed that he collided with Rose. It was only his quick thinking to thread his arms around her waist and spin them both that he didn't flatten her to the ground. He panted a panicked breath as he looked into her terrified eyes.

"Rose. What happened? Are you hurt?" He looked behind her as though expecting something behind her.

She sobbed as she thrust her phone into his chest. Her distress was such that she couldn't get a single coherent word out. "They have. They. I. Mum."

He dragged her into his chest and held firm as he looked over her shoulder to thumb through the messages on the screen. His eyes flashed open in horror to see message after message from Jackie begging for them to come help, and then a final, ominous demand for Rose to turn herself in if she wanted to see her mother, brother and father again.

"By Rassilon, no," he breathed darkly as his wife dissolved against his chest.

Marissa and Amy were quickly at their side, instinct to soothe overriding everything else.

"God, what's happened," Amy implored desperately. She was surprised to have the Doctor shift the phone so she could take it. "What?"

"They've got Rose's Mum and family," He growled. His eyes shifted darkly toward his father and brother still standing in the door. "We're out of time. I'm sorry, Father, but there's only one thing we can do now." He started to lead he and Rose toward their TARDIS. "Torchwood have crossed the wrong man.  There’s a reason I’m known as the Destroyer of Worlds and the Oncoming Storm.  It’s time for them to find out why."

 

 


	68. Hypercube

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ten gets told of by his dad - who really just wants to get down and dirty like the rest of them. Eleven feels that it might be time to bring in a couple of reinforcements to help out.

It had been quite a while since the Meta Crisis Doctor had felt fury. He'd gotten mad, felt panic, fear, hopelessness. He'd even gotten pretty pissed off one or twice (or three or four times). But pure unbridled fury? No. Not since he travelled all of time and space in his beloved T-40.

He’d had forgotten just how painfully gripping that emotion was. He forgot how much of an incredible driving force that emotion could be and how it could completely overwhelming that burning force of action could be.  Something was going to die, and in very short order. Destruction on a biblical scale. There wasn't any power in the universe that was going to stop him…

…Although his father was going to make a rather valiant effort to try.

"Doctor," he ordered softly in warning. "Take a moment to think before you leave here."

The Doctor's arm tightened around Rose's waist. He didn't turn to look at his father, but he angled his head to be in line with his shoulder to acknowledge him. "We're out of time. Torchwood have played their card and we have no choice but to respond and to answer back to the fullest extent that I’m capable."  His eyes and voice darkened with horrific speed.  “And trust me.  I’m capable of quite a lot.”

"I ask you to stop and  _think_ , Son."

"I'm through stopping and thinking, Father," he snarled as he reached the top of the stairs and looked to where his TARDIS waited with urgency of her own. He felt a burst of pride at the youngster and her protective constitution.  Her doors were wide open and the lighted console hummed loudly in wait for his command. "Thinking is for philosophers and pacifists, I'm going by instinct, now."

"And I'm through being polite," Ulysses snarled as he hauled himself noisily from the doorway.  He approached his child with all of the looming terror of an angry Kodiak bear. "You will _stop_ , and then you will think.  And then we will _all_ come up with a plan that won't get the two of you killed while an entire planet goes into panic as they watch their only form of protection against alien forces get destroyed."

The Doctor ignored the demand of his father and descended the stairs. At the moment that his feet touched the landing, Ulysses bellowed a firm order in harsh Gallifreyan. The words stilled the Doctor mid-stride and drew stunned gasps from the two other Gallifreyan-speaking Time Lords.

The Doctor slowly turned to face his father. "You did  _not_  just invoke…"

"I did," he interrupted sharply as he tightly folded his arms across his broad chest. "And, my Son, I challenge you to defy me."

He shot a look to his mother. "And you're just going to let him speak to me like that?"

She raised her hands in defeat. "I'm stepping out of this conversation." She held her hand to Rose. "Come, my daughter. This is where we leave our Lords to settle their quarrel."

Rose shook her head and pulled in tighter to her Time Lord. "But they've got my family, Marissa. We have to leave.  Me and him.  Now. There's no saying what will happen to them if we continue to make them wait."

"We are  _Time Travelers_ ," Marissa reminded her. "We have all of the Time in the Universe to come to the rescue of your family."

"But," she argued weakly. "But. Right now, in their time, they're being held hostage, and God knows just what kind of torture they're going through. Tony…" She looked up to the Doctor, who was still in a stare down with his father. "He's only four. Four! He has to be terrified."

The Doctor broke his stare with his father and softened his expression as he looked down to her. With practiced tenderness, he cupped at her cheeks and touched his lips to hers in a gentle and apologetic kiss. "Just give us a moment, Rose. I promise you that we'll head back as soon as we can and get our family out of there." She shuddered in his hold. "Just trust me, Rose. Trust  _us_. You can do that, right?"

She nodded. "Of course I can."

He kissed her again. "Then go with Mother. I'll be right in." He released her and watched her movements closely with adoring eyes as she walked inside the home followed by his mother and Eleven's three companions. Once he was sure they were out of sight and earshot he shot a glare to his father.

"I should have left you at Eldirol," he snarled as he stalked up the stairs. He then looked to his brother. "Oh, and thanks for backing me up there."

Eleven rolled his eyes as he thrust his hands into his pockets. "Nothing I could do to help you on that one."

"I know." He flopped into one of the balcony chairs and waved to the chairs across the patio table in a facetious gesture of hospitality. "Do sit, will you?"

Ulysses waited for Eleven to sit before he seated himself. All aggression had left his frame as he leaned forward to address both his sons. "Forgive me, my son, but you left me with little choice."

"I could still tell you to sod off," Ten snarled. "I can still get in my TARDIS and destroy that place."

"But you won't."

He shook his head and then leaned back heavily in the chair to cover his eyes tiredly with the butt of his palm. "I won't."

"Because you know that I'm right."

He let out a short laugh and drew his hand from his eyes. "Only partially right, Dad." He slid a look to his brother and then looked back to his Father. "This is a more delicate situation than I'm currently treating it as. I'm not going to deny that. But as for sitting here on our laurels coming up with what you think might be a valiant and brilliant battle plan is pointless."

"Okay," Ulysses acquiesced. "I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and let you convince me otherwise." He snapped up a finger of warning when Ten opened his mouth to speak. "But make it  _very_  convincing."

He sat back in the chair feeling slightly victorious, but knowing that his father would take that victory from him very quickly if he couldn't quickly convince him that he  _knew_  better in this instance.  A tough ask when facing a seasoned warrior… Eight centuries out of the battle or not, Ulysses was a brilliant strategist and legendary Gallifreyan soldier.

He began slowly. "Torchwood protocols were developed in such a manner that it would make it impossible for an infiltrating force to quickly and efficiently get in, retrieve what they came for, and get out." He inhaled hard. "Every floor of the building has holding capabilities, which means there isn't any specific holding area for prisoners and hostages. Holding designations are changed daily, and are selected at random."

"Clever," Eleven admitted.

"Not really," Ulysses corrected. "That simply puts them in a greater danger if a party was set to retrieve their held man."

"Yeah," Ten drawled. "Typically, though, the Torchwood teams eliminate the threat out in the field. I've only ever seen them hold a hostage once." He immediately fell into a guilty expression. "And that hostage managed to find freedom fairly quickly," he muttered.

"They took a friendly?"

"An old friend," he admitted. "An alliance I managed to hang on to by risking a charge of treason to get them out of there."

"Amy does insist that you are a sentimental fool," Ulysses suggested with a warm smile. His smile fell as he leaned forward in the chair to rest his elbows on the table in front of him. "So, we cannot say for sure where Rose's family are being held?"

Ten shook his head. "Access to the executive wing is limited. The walls of that part of the facility are lead-lined and walled with six-inch reinforced titanium plates treated to withstand even a direct missile hit." He looked to Eleven. "Remember Downing street?"

Eleven smirked. "Never going to forget that one."

"Yeah, well this set up will withstand a direct hit like that."

He looked slightly disappointed by that. "Ah. Well. That takes the fun out of things, doesn't it?"

"Indeed. So if we want to get at the board, we have to do it from the inside." He looked to his father. "And, unfortunately, I don't have authorization for that section of the place, and even if I did, It's safe to say those permissions have since been revoked."

Ulysses rubbed thoughtfully at his chin. "How do you propose gaining entry?"

Ten considered that for a moment. "I can access their network and apply some technologically brilliant jiggery pokery to change the permission protocols, but…" He chuckled at himself. "Even though I'm  _brilliant_ , I would need time to familiarize myself with the network."

"Not enough time for that level of play," Eleven finished for him. "They're probably putting tracer programs on all potential access points."

"And I'll have a team knocking on the TARDIS doors about ten seconds after I tried to get in."

"There is _someone_  you could ask," Eleven offered quietly. "And you know he'd help."

Ten licked at his lip. "Call in some reinforcements, you think?"

"You, Rose, Mother. They know your faces, and they're expecting you to blow in." He scratched at his hair. "Some unknowns will have an easier shot at getting in."

"It'll also balance out the Human/Time Lord ratio," Ten admitted thoughtfully. He then grinned. "And it'd be good to see them again, you know?"

"Not to forget, it'll make Rose feel a lot better to see him again." He chuckled. "You know he and Martha got married, yeah?"

"Really?" Ten shot back with a thrilled smile. "Oh. That's just  _brilliant_. Mickey could definitely get into their networks and get us through security." He scratched roughly at his hair. "Could use Jack's help. I know you deactivated his manipulator, but I also know Jack…"

"He probably had the damn thing fixed thirty seconds after the TARDIS dematerialized," Eleven admitted with a small amount of guilt. "And I probably didn't wholeheartedly disable it to begin with."

Ten chuckled at that. "And Amy thinks I'm the soft one."

"We were the same man – pretty much – at that point." He snorted. "Soft. That's  _exactly_  what we want to invading alien armies thinking about us."

"Speaking of  _aliens_ ," Ulysses queried. "Is it your belief that the Torchwood board may be facing any influences from alien parties?"

"Chances are more than high," Ten answered with a shrug. "Pete's had his suspicions. He even had Rose's assistant looking into some questionable things here and there that still haven't really been answered."

"Have you considered applying to the Council of Lords for assistance?"

Both Ten and Eleven went quiet, and looked everywhere but at Ulysses or each other.

"Well?"

Ten tried to simply brush off that suggestion. "Different universe. The Lords don't watch over this parallel." He shrugged and then lifted his hand to scratch at his sideburn with a light wince in his face. "The words  _Time Lord_  don't really hold the power it once did."

"Don't speak nonsense," Ulysses corrected sharply. "Gallifrey has watched over all parallels since the dawn of the Time Lord Society. How has their watch failed so badly that we now have a universe that doesn't fear repercussion at the hands of the Lords of Gallifrey?"

Ten cleared his throat uncomfortably and seemed to swallow a lump as he looked to his brother. "You wanna run with that one?"

"And have  _him_  shoot the messenger? No thanks."

Ulysses looked between his sons. "Well, one of you has to answer me."

Ten looked to his brother and held out a fist. "Rock. Paper. Scissors?"

"Don't be so juvenile," Eleven snapped back. He huffed and looked to his father. "I'm going to let pinstripes explain the full details of events when you get back to his Universe, but." He took a deep breath. "Gallifrey is no more."

"Excuse me?"

"You ask why Time felt the need to birth a new child," Eleven answered. "Well, to adopt the romanticism that you and mother seem to enjoy: Time's Guardians fell in the Time War…"

"It can't be true," he replied in shock. "How?"

"The Time War," Ten murmured with a swallow. "Gallifrey fell. Everyone. Everything's gone."

Ulysses' hand shot to his mouth. "Impossible. How could this happen?"

" _How_  is irrelevant right now," Ten pleased. "I will explain the full circumstances of Gallifrey's fall, just not right now. Please."

Ulysses swallowed a lump and shook his head. His face was a tightened wince of sorrow as it fell to his chest. "We have survived…"

"We're all that's left," Eleven said solemnly.

Ulysses raised his head and glared a devastated, yet proud, glare to his sons. "And we must preserve the lore of our society."

"Oh-h-h. I don't like where this is leading," Ten said with a wince and a shudder.

Ulysses' fist came down hard on the table, which caused both men to jump back into their seats. "We are a proud society that will _not_ be forgotten. The universe will not be allowed to feel as though they are free to do whatever they choose because they think we aren't watching."

"Okay, now I'm scared," Ten practically whimpered. He looked to his brother and noticed that he looked completely mortified himself, sitting deeply in his chair, knees up on the cushion. " _Aaaannnd_  by the looks of it. You are as well."

"If he suggests Scarlet and Gold …"

"Of course that's what he's going to suggest.  _Rassilon_ , Brother. He's more pompous than half the men on council. Any chance to parade like a bloody peacock in full Prydonian glory he'll take it." Ten rose quickly from his chair, and pointed a finger at his father. "You can play Time Lord chest puffing glory fancy dress all you want. Just don't expect me to wear a robe and headgear at your side."

"How did you become so ashamed of who you are?"

"That list is long and varied," he answered with a sigh. "And one day I'll be happy to go through it point by delicious point, but right now, I've got a few people to see and a few briefs to make so that I can rescue my wife's family." He grinned to Eleven. "I'll let the two of you continue this discussion."

"I can go collect our former companions," Eleven offered quickly – quick enough to completely betray the cool and calm façade he had in place. "You really should stick close to home in case your wife needs you."  His face tightened up.  “You know.  Pregnant cravings and shoulder rubs and the such.”

"But Jack, Martha and Mickey won't recognize you." He circled his finger around his face. "You know, different face and all that."

"Nonsense. One look at the old girl and they'll know  _exactly_  who I am."

"Much less jarring to them if I go. Poor Jack, he's already had to encounter two different versions of me already, another incarnation might destroy him."

"Oh, he'll be fine."

Ulysses rose from his seat and brushed off his thighs. "I will accompany you, whichever one of you is the one to collect your friends. We can collect my capsule while we’re out."

Both Ten and Eleven looked to their father with wide eyes as they pointed to each other. Their answer was synchronized, harmonious, and hurried. "He's going."

~~oooOOOooo~~

Amy groaned as she finally pulled herself from the window overlooking the deck where the three Time Lords of Lungbarrow were engaged in their discussion. She appeared very disappointed as she took a seat at a stool by the breakfast counter.

"What is wrong, Amy," Marissa queried as she passed along a glass full of a concoction she promised was a delightful beverage of local fruits and vegetables.

Amy eyeballed the lavender looking drink with wary eyes. "Oh," she drawled with a tic of her head toward the door. "I was hoping to catch a drift of what they were taking about out there." She sniffed the drink and wrinkled her nose. "But they were speaking what I guess is Gallifreyan. Couldn't understand a word of it." She looked up to Marissa. "I can't understand how they can even speak it, to be honest. There's some pretty unique sounds in that language that should be impossible to make."

Marissa laughed. "Not impossible. It takes some practice to get the phonetics right though. My first few years with Ulysses as he tried to teach me his language resulted in some very painful evenings as I stumbled over some of the more complicated trills." She rubbed at her throat. "It's like singing all day long. Sometimes no amount of honey and lemon helped." She took a sip from her own glass. "Even after so many centuries, I still have my more difficult days."

Ten skipped in through the door, his hands in his pockets and a very fake grin plastered on his face. "How are the ladies of Lungbarrow doing?" His eyes widened and his lips pursed as he took note of the glass of drink that Amy was ignoring. "Oh!  _Oh_! Love this stuff!" He snatched the drink from in front of Amy and downed it completely in a single draw.

"Rude," Marissa chided with a slap on his arm. "That was Amy's."

He breathed out a couple of laughs. "That's me. Rude, and not ginger." He licked some stray juice from his lip and moved over to where Rose stood pressed against the wall. He quickly set his hands on her hips and then slid them around her waist to pull her against him. "Hello."

"Hello to you, too," she said with a half smile.

"How are you doing?"

She shrugged her shoulder to her ear. "Trusting that you'll work out how we'll get there before anything happens."

"We will. I promise."

"Did you boys get it all worked out?"

"We did."

"Did you kiss and make up?"

"We did not."

"Are we okay to go now?"

He gave her a half nod, half shake of his head. "Yes and no." He raised his head and opened his mouth as though anticipating her argument and quickly pressed his finger to her lips. He lowered his face down to hers. "Dad and I have to run a quick errand before we can head back."

"You're leaving?"

The panic in her voice was obvious. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"If you go back there without me, Doctor…"

"Wouldn't dream of it," he assured quickly with a drop of his hand to hold her firm around her hips. "But if you and me are going to get all rowdy in Torchwood, then there are a few things we need to get first." He dropped a kiss to her mouth. "And I promise you. You'll love it."

She narrowed her eyes at him in a playful threat. "So long as that isn't your sneaky little chivalrous way of saying that you're going in there without me and will be bringing back my mum, dad and Tony."

"It's not."

"Good," she huffed. "Because I think I have earned right to go into Torchwood and tear a few arses of my own. You aren't allowed to take that right from me."

He laughed. "Oh. I wouldn't  _dare_  take that from you." He flicked his eyes to his mother. "I think she wants in, too. She kind of likes your mum a little bit."

"A little bit?"

"Probably a little more than that." He pulled her in for a solid hug and dropped his mouth to hers in a searing kiss that curled her toes. He chuckled at the whimpering sigh she breathed into his mouth. "You know. That's my favourite sound in the universe."

"Don't be too long."

"Back in a flash." He backed off and tipped an imaginary hat to the other ladies in the room. "Girls. Take care of the two loves of my life, will you?" He bowed dramatically. "Because I fear that I might not make it back in one piece; or as the same man you see before you now."

"What are you talking about?" River queried with a smile.

Ulysses called form the doorway. "Son. Are you ready?"

Ten thumbed to the door. "Because I have to travel with  _him._  The chances are very high that one of us will put the other into regeneration."

Marissa laughed. "Then send me home a younger model, my son."

"I heard that," Ulysses grumbled as he entered the living room juggling a pair of Hypercubes in his hands. He had the tip of his tongue stuck out of the side of his mouth as he concentrated on the toss of the cubes and walking toward his wife at the same time.

River Song thumbed at her grin. "And there you have it. Proof that a man can actually multitask."

"Yes," Amy intoned blandly. "Because juggling and walking is such a sought after combination in today's society."

"Maybe in Time Lord Society it is," River offered.

"Nah," Ten drawled. "Not in any society that I'm immediately aware of."

"You mean there isn't a circus planet?"

Ulysees stopped juggling and kissed his wife's cheek. "I'll return shortly, my love. I have an errand to run with our insolent little boy." He kissed her again. "He gets that from you, I'm sure."

Marissa gave him a playful slap on the bum. "Rush back my handsome Lord. We still have much catching up to do."

"I don't need to hear that, Mother," Ten groaned. He took stride beside his father. "Why the cubes?"

Ulysses looked at the cubes and shrugged. "Your brother gave them to me. Said he needed to send out a couple of messages before he leaves this parallel. I told him we'd toss them in the vortex for him."

"Did you charge him postage fees?" He spun to walk backward and talk to Eleven as he entered the room. "Ya lazy git. Go send your own messages."

Eleven rolled his eyes and waited until the other two men had left before he took a dramatic, yet short, run to skid himself along the floor in just a pair of socks. He grinned like a child. "I loved doing that as a loomling."

"Yes," Marissa remarked dryly. "Until the day you tripped over the edge of the mat, went head first into the coffee table, and split your forehead on the corner." She tutted gently and looked to Amy and River. "Poor little darling cried for a good hour wanting a kiss for his boo boo."

"I was _three_ ," he defended with a shrug. "I don't cry like that anymore. And I have my Sonic to make any boo boos feel better."

"And with that," Marissa sighed sadly. "My son tells me he doesn't need me anymore."

"Oh, he needs you," Rose assured with a gentle rub of her arm. "I mean, who else can he possibly go to when he ends up in the doghouse with his wives?"

"Oh my dear child," she cheered. "That's when  _you_  come to me and we swap stories and drink wine. He gets no assistance from me if he upsets his wife."

"That is so good for me to know." She looked briefly to the door at the sound of the TARDIS rematerializing outside. "Well. He was quick."

"Time Lord," Marissa sighed with a roll of her eyes. "They've probably both been gone for a month, but have actually managed to time their return to a minute after they left."

"Ulysses must be piloting then," Rose said with a giggle.

Amy and River Song laughed in agreement. "Yeah, because it's not like Raggedy man can ever time his landing right."

"Is there any reason other than a cackling coven of chin waggin' women that I was called to return to Kasterborous a half century out of my own time?"

The room silenced immediately at the harsh Northern voice. Rose held her breath as she slowly turned toward the voice. Her breath blew out hard and then inhaled sharply when she caught sight of him. All leather, denim, proud nose and big ears, tossing a hypercube up and down in his right hand. He caught her eyes and gave her a wide grin.

"Rose."

She covered her mouth in her hands as her eyes filled with tears. "Doctor…"


	69. Nine of Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is in trouble. Nine and Rose reunite.

The Doctor danced around the TARDIS console with practiced ease.  _Well_. To  _him_  it was practiced  _ease_. To anyone that actually watched him – especially another experienced TARDIS pilot – he looked to be running about like a chaotic fool. Which is precisely how Ulysses viewed his son at the helm.

"You know," he began along a careful tone. "I am willing to assist in piloting your machine."

"I'm good," The Doctor chirped in response with a grin as wide as his face. He leaned a precarious lean across the length of the console to flick up a lever. The ship shuddered a shaking rattle of displeasure, but it eked out fairly quickly, and within a moment, the ship was smooth in the space above Earth. "See? Everything's fine."

"Of course it is," Ulysses deadpanned. "Because Capsule travel is always so rough and uncomfortable."

The Doctor snorted. "I'd challenge you to do better, but unlike most people who will back off and take it as thr hint to shut up, you'll actually take over."

He dipped his head in a slight bow.  "You know me well."

The Doctor didn't answer to that as he pulled the monitor toward him to begin a scan on the ground for his former companions. He pulled his glasses from the pocket of his blue and rust pinstriped blazer and slid them up the bridge of his nose. Even with the aid of his prescription lenses, he still squinted to focus properly.

Ulysses inched his head closer to look at the set of his son's eyes. "That's a weakness from your mother's side," he muttered finally.

The Doctor slid only his eyes toward his father, keeping the set of his face and shoulders facing the monitor. "Weakness?"

"Your eyes." He flicked the point of his fingers between each eye. "Your need for corrective lenses is from your mother."

The Doctor let out a snort of amusement. "And here I was thinking it was from Donna I had to thank for looking so damn geek-chic. I'll thank Mother when I get back to Borrav." He moved in closer to the monitor and curled his fist under his chin as his eyes waded through the results. "Blimey. This might take a while." He then straightened up. " _Still_. Good thing this is a time machine. Rose'll never know we took longer than expected out here."

"Is there a problem?"

He pressed his lips together and shook his head. "Nah. Not really." He leaned to one side to flick at a switch beside the keyboard. "Though, this might've been easier if we took the Type-40 instead of the new model." He stroked at the console. "Nothing against you, my beautiful girl, but the old girl has the bio-signature of the kids we're looking for. You don't have that just yet."

"How long have you had this ship?" Ulysses queried. Taking a look around, he determined she was several centuries old. The Doctor's answer, therefore, surprised him.

The Doctor raised his head to the ceiling and did a mental calculation. "12 Earth months ago she was given to us as a piece of coral, and she's been fully operational for about a week now." His eyes shot wide and a smile stretched across his face. "A year ago. That makes right now the anniversary of Bad Wolf Bay.  _Oh,_ and I  _love_  celebrating an anniversary like the humans do. I just love it." He hummed thoughtfully. "Maybe I should get her something? A gift before we head back to Borrav. Oh! I know. Chips! I'll pick up an order of chips from her favourite store back in London." He grinned at his father. "That was our first date, you know."

"Delightful," Ulysses intoned blandly. "A one year anniversary with your beloved, who not only chose to bond herself with you, but also bears your child. And you feel that a snack made from a tuber is an adequate gift?"

"It's the thought behind it," he argued huffily. "Rose'll love it. You'll see."

"I have the bonding rings that your mother and I wore in our first incarnation together hidden inside my TT-Capsule."

"There's a point to that, I take it?"

Ulysses swatted him across the back of the head, which knocked the Doctor's glasses off his nose and sent them tumbling down to the console. He seemed almost pleased to hear his son curse low in Gallifreyan as he retrieved them. "If you had let me finish," he began. "Then you would have heard the point I was trying to make. The rings that your mother and I wore will now be the ones worn by you and your beloved to indicate to all that you are a permanently bonded and mated pair.  _That_  will be your gift to her, Son. Not a grease filled Styrofoam tray of  _chips_."

"But she likes chips,” he whined pathetically.  “They're our  _thing_." He straightened from his slouch as the monitor beeped for his attention. "Oh.  _Hello_ ," he said with a smile. "Looks like she's found Jack." He boomed a low laugh. "And it also looks like he's got himself in a bit of trouble."

Ulysses was intrigued. "Oh?"

"It appears that he's got himself caught up with some unfriendlies from Waithe."

"Is  _anyone_  from Waithe friendly?"

"Not in my experience," he answered with a shrug. "And knowing Jack, he probably propositioned one, which only makes them less friendly." He looked to his Dad and leaned an elbow on the console to fall into a side-slouch. "I know what I'd do, but I'm going to let you run with this one. What are your thoughts in getting my friend clear?"

Ulysses let a lazy smile spread across his face. "Do you have an air horn?"

~~oooOOOooo~~

The Ninth Doctor was slightly hesitant as he stepped out of his TARDIS and onto the grounds he remembered as the family home upon Borrav. It had been several centuries since he had been able to visit, but the place felt as welcoming to him as it always did.

He didn't exactly have to question just which Time Lord had created the hypercube that his TARDIS had intercepted. Obviously it was himself – a future self – who had found himself in trouble and needed help. Who else was there?

_"This Hypercube message is intended for the ninth incarnation of the Time Lord known as the Doctor,"_ It began in a lazy, youthful male voice.  _"If this isn't Doctor number nine, then do the universe a favour and toss this cube back into the Vortex."_

_"Doctor. A situation that may well affect the very existence of Time and Space has arisen, and you have been recalled to the planet of Borrav in the constellation of Kasterborous. It's imperative that you leave your current companions on Earth, as bringing them with you may- or will - result in a paradox that we simply don't have time to reverse at this time. Coordinates for materialization including date and time are encoded into this cube. Let the TARDIS work that information for you, she's smart enough to get it right on her own – in fact she's probably already working on it. Isn't that right, you beautiful old girl?"_

_"See you soon, Doctor."_

When he looked up at the completion of the message he found that his beloved ship had, indeed, already coordinated the encoded details and was spinning her way through the Vortex to rip through the time lock and answer the hypercube's command. He made sure that his companions were otherwise occupied, and then dematerialized with intention to sneak back five minutes after he left.

And so now here he was. Back home. Well. As home as home could be now that Gallifrey was gone.

He quickly let his eyes fall to the lone time ship looming quietly inside a stand of red and silver trees at the edge of the property. There was no doubting now that he had been called by his future self. Just which one might be interesting. Would he still be travelling with Jack and Rose?

Of course he would be. At the very least he'd have Rose with him.

And if he didn't, then he'd kill him. There'd be no excuse for Rose not still being at his side. None.

He ascended the stairs and looked around at the old place as he tossed the cube up and down in his hand. Place hadn't changed much. It still looked like a home on Gallifrey rather than a Borrav homestead. But that had been his father's intention when he did the landscaping so many centuries ago. Ulysses was nothing if not a crest waving patriotic man of Gallifrey. He may as well have brought one of the trees of Lungbarrow and weaved it in to the construction.

Or perhaps he did. Hard to tell.

Female laughter from inside the home caught his attention. He paused to isolate each sound in hope that one particular laugh was present. It was, and his hearts soared as he jogged up the remaining stairs toward the door. He squeaked boots on the wooden floor to stop his jog at the doorway. There was no need to look so eager and burst in all smiles and happy.

That would destroy his carefully crafted surly and moody reputation.

Instead, he stood in a lean against the door and tossed the hypercube up and down in his right hand as he groused that there had better be a reason for being called to Kasterborous that didn't solely involve cackling, chin waggin' women.

The immediate silence was expected, and definitely appreciated. He took that time to take a look around and see if his fantastic companion still accompanied the Doctor on his travels. When his eyes fell on her, he couldn't contain his smile.

Older by a few years, definitely. Her hair was still that perfect shining blonde that mesmerized him with highlights that actually glinted in the TARDIS lighting – he was sure the TARDIS did that on purpose. She was slimmer, yet more curvaceous in the hips and chest. Yes. He  _looked_. Of course he  _looked._  A brief eidetic capture, of course, but the eyes did go there.

There she was, now more beautiful than the version of her that travelled his TARDIS now.

His name passed through his lips. Whether it was spoken with longing, adoration, want, need, happiness, or desperation, he wasn't sure. What he did notice, was how her eyes immediately filled with tears.

His hearts fell to see her cover her mouth and whimper his name as though looking at a ghost.

He immediately opened his arms to her and wiggled his fingers. "C'mere, Rose. Miss me?"

~oooOOOooo~~

Jack Harkness was in trouble. Well, of course he was. There was rarely a moment when he  _wasn't_  in trouble. He took heart in the fact that this time he hadn't been the one to find and create this particular little spot of bother. No. This time the trouble had most definitely come looking for him, and found him – of course – without too much difficulty.

Maybe it was time to revisit his  _creature of habit_  habit and adopt a few odd behaviours to throw them all off.

Currently surrounded by a foursome of rather large scaly looking brutes from a planet he was sure that he hadn't been to yet, but had probably inadvertently managed to upset via his usual means, he calculated his plan of escape.

"So, did I sleep with your sister or something," he asked without too much interest in their answer as he gauged their movements around him. Not good. "Brother, maybe?" They moved in perfect synchronicity, limbs perfectly aligned so as to imprison him inside their cage of gangly legs and arms. Blasting out wasn't an option, as they'd successfully disarmed him the moment they attacked. His blaster was out of reach on the other side of his alien cage.

He looked to the sky and begged whatever deity watching that he'd get out of this without having to die too many times.

"Now just what kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into, then, Jack?"

Jack visibly relaxed. He'd know that voice and the cockiness of it anywhere. The Doctor was here. What bloody good timing that man had.

Well yeah.  _Time Lord_. Of course he did.

"Can't chat right now, Doc. Seem to have found myself in a bit of a bind."

"I can see that."

"Care to help a friend out?"

"Who said you're a friend?"

"Doc…."

"Oh all right." He cleared his throat. "Okay, you bunch of lowlife Waithe scum," his voice bellowed out from somewhere in front of him. "I get that he's probably pissed you off in some dramatic way – because he's very good at that – but I am going to ask you really nice to step away from my _friend_."

None of the Aliens moved a muscle, although it was clear that they were telepathically analyzing the newest threat and if it were, indeed, any threat at all. "Uh, Doc.," Jack called. "Doesn't look like they want to listen."

"Oh," he laughed in a dangerous chuckle from the other side of alien arms and legs. "Perhaps you didn't hear me. Let me start again." He cleared his throat for showmanship. "Hello. I'm the  _Doctor_. I'm a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous…"

Nothing more needed saying as the sea of arms and legs parted and the aliens turned their attentions toward the Doctor.

"Oh come on," he bit in with a pout. "You're not even going to let me finish that speech? I love that speech. I'm very good at that speech." He looked to his dad. "You'd like the speech. Very Time Lord pompous. Right up your alley."

Ulysses merely smirked at the angry faces of four rather large Waithe men. "A Time Lord would finish the speech regardless." He shifted his head to his son and shrugged. "If only because a Time Lord doesn't get interrupted."

The Doctor shook his head. "No. He shouldn't. Should he?"

Ulysses shook his head. "No. Especially not by a lowlife species like the Waithes."

"Oh, come on, Dad." His voice was dripping with sarcasm. "The Waithes are a truly majestic species…" He started to laugh. "Oh, who am I kidding? I can't even say that with a straight face."

Jack, in the meantime, had slid from the centre of the four aliens, and was mid stride in a stoop to collect his firearm when he caught the Doctor referring to the other man as  _Dad_. Surely he was only hearing things.

"Jack," the Doctor muttered. "You might want to get over here."

"Coming," He answered with a cheeky grin and a waggle of his brow. "Who's your friend? Handsome devil." He looked back to the TARDIS. "Is Rosie still with you; or did she finally give up on you and find herself a good man to settle down with?"

Ulysses shot Jack a rather disgusted look. The Doctor merely kept his eyes on the beasts in front of them. "Dad. Jack. Jack. My dad, Ulysses."

"Time Lord, then?"

"Yep."

"Dad?"

"Yep."

Jack nodded. "So he's…"

"Yep."

"And you're…"

"Yep." There was a very tight and deliberate pop on that P.

"And Rosie?"

His entire demeanour changed and his face lit up at the mention of his beloved’s name. "Oh  _yes_. Rose. She's great. Brilliant! We're married now, expecting. She's back at the summer house, actually. Going to take you to see her."

"Oh," Jack managed in a breathy laugh as he hugged the Doctor. "That's great news, Doc! It's about time the two of you got it sorted out." He pulled back and clutched at his upper arms. "And a Time Tot in the oven? Oh boy, the Universe is in trouble."

"I know," he chuffed as he thrust his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his converse. "It's just brilliant. She's brilliant! Life's brilliant. Well, except for … but you don't need to hear about that right now. In time, in time." He thumbed back to the TARDIS. "So come on, then. We've still got to pick up Mickey and Martha, yet."

Jack looked back over his shoulder at the four aliens. "What about them?"

The Doctor looked at the aliens and shrugged with a roll of his eyes. " Yes. Them. I forgot about that." He nodded to his father. "Dad. If you will."

Ulysses looked toward Jack with a smooth grin. "You might want to cover your ears."

"Yeah. Why?"

The hot blast of an air horn belched out to his front. The sudden hit of sound made his heart jump into his throat and his breath almost cease completely. He gasped as he spoke. "From Gallifrey, right?"

"Hmm?" the Doctor hummed. He then looked to the horn. "Oh. No. Australia, actually. Perth. Fine little city that. Friendly people. The man I got that from – Gary, I think – designed it to scare off the Dingoes from attacking his sheep on a farm outside the city. At least he claimed it was dingoes." He smirked to one side. "Turns out it was a small band of renegades from Dralphahole. A desolate little planet on the edge of the Constellation Kreohar."

"And they were, what? Maiming his sheep?"

He pursed his lips and scratched at his sideburn. " _Yeahhhh_ ," he drawled. "Something like that." He shook himself. "Anyway. Short version. I helped get rid of the Dralphaholes, he gave me this unique little air horn of his."

"What's so  _unique_  about it?"

"Oh, it's at the perfect frequency to really upset Waithes and instantaneously send them back home" He nodded at the space in the alleyway that had only moments ago been occupied by Aliens. "Air Horns bug them on a good day – it messes with their telepathic receptors – that particular model,  _well_ , it can knock out their ability to communicate for days. Their transmat units are designed to immediately transport if communication between travelling parties is interrupted."

Ulysses smirked. "Which makes it really easy to get rid of them."

"I'll make sure we have air horns added to our inventory then," Jack muttered. He lifted his massive gun to his shoulder. "A pleasure as always, Doc. But I've got to get back to the Hub. Things to see, people to do."

Ulysses cocked his head to the side. "Isn't the order of that …"

"No, Dad," the Doctor corrected quickly. "He said it right. For Jack, anyway."

"I see."

"So come on, then, Jack. Onto the TARDIS. Allons-y."

Jack shook his head. "Any other time, maybe. But right now, I can't." He watched the Doctor's face harden, darken, and knew that he was only being given an illusion of choice because the Doctor was attempting to be polite. "Look, Doc. I'm actually in the middle of dealing with something, and I can't just run off with you."

"I need your help, Jack."

Jack's expression changed at the level and urgent tone used by the Time Lord, and not at the words themselves. That wasn't typically something that the Doctor would readily admit to anyone. He let out a breath.

"Please Jack. It's." He looked pained. "It's Rose."

That was enough for Jack. "Okay. Help me deal with the mess I've got on my hands, Doc, and I'm all yours." He held out his hand to shake out a deal. "You have my word on that."

"Thanks." The Doctor took his hand firmly. "Right. What're we dealing with here?"

~~oooOOOooo~~

"C'mere Rose. Miss me?"

_Miss you?_  Her mind screamed at him.  _Miss you? I sobbed and mourned for you, you stupid alien git!_

He appeared to stumble at her mind's bark of incredulity. His arms still held out for her, but his face creased in confusion. "Rose?"

At his unsure call of her name, Rose launched from where she stood across the room. She cried out his name as she leapt against his chest and threw her arms around his neck with enough momentum to unbalance him. He staggered back to hit the wall behind him, but clutched thick arms tightly around her waist.

"Hey now," he cooed in a firm, yet soft voice. "What's with all this fussin', then? There's no cryin' allowed."

"You left me," she sobbed against his chest. "You just went and left me."

He tightened his hold on her and tried not to let her emotion get to him. "I'm sorry, Rose. I'm sorry I had to leave."

She lifted her head to look up at him looming over her, all power and authority; but with that raw tenderness he held only for her. She sniffed a wet sniffle and blinked out several hot tears. "Why'd you go and do it, Doctor? Why'd you have to go and do something so stupid like that?"

His smile was gentle and his eyes filled with adoration as he cupped her cheek with one hand and stroked his thumb several strokes along her tears. "I don't know, Rose. I haven't done it yet." He dropped his mouth to kiss her forehead and drew her close once again. "But whatever I did, I'm sure it was done for you. To protect you." He pulled back and looked down into her face again. "To keep you safe."

Her chest rumbled as another sob found its way into her throat. "You left me on the TARDIS with a complete stranger," she accused sharply with a single hard slap to his chest. "Millions and millions of miles away from home, lost in the vortex, and you changed into someone I didn't even know, right in front of my eyes, and then acted like nothing had happened, that everything was okay. Like that wasn't the single most terrifying thing I've ever had to watch."

"I'm sorry."

"I didn't know what to do," she whimpered softly as she finally settled against his chest. "I was so lost, and you weren't there to tell me what to do or how to cope with it."

"But you did," he said proudly with a smile of pride to match his voice. "My  _fantastic_ Rose Tyler. You came through it, didn't you?"

"I needed you," she countered with a shake of her head. "So many times I needed you." She roughly wiped at her eyes, and then at her nose with the back of her hand. "Especially when  _he_  acted like a right prat."

He was aghast. "I left you with a  _prat_?" His eyes flicked to Eleven. "Is  _he_  who I left you with?"

Rose rolled her head on his chest to lay her ear inside the valley between his pecs. She closed her eyes and listened to the double thumb of his heartsbeat against her ear.  Slowly she opened her eyes and let them settle on Eleven.  She took the time to inhale a deep breath before she finally shook her head. "No. He's not your direct successor."

"But you're still with him, erm, me."

She shook her head again. "No. Not anymore. I stopped travelling with…" she blew out a breath. "The Doctor in  _your_  TARDIS when you were in your Tenth regeneration." She blinked at the other Doctor. "He's your eleventh incarnation."

"We're bonded," he blurted suddenly in a simple statement. While his voice lacked confusion, the stroke of his thumbs on her hips told her that he was puzzled by that. "I can feel our bond. So new and so strong."

"We're bonded," she said softly.

"And you're with child.  _My_  child."

"I am."

He gave a couple of hard swipes along her arms before he pulled away from her to walk toward his future self. He carefully analysed him. "A new bond. A very new conception." He angled his head. "But you were separated during our Tenth incarnation." He let his eyes rake up and down. "Not together now, yet here you are." His eyes narrowed. "why do I feel like Alice in Wonderland."

Eleven dared speak up. "Confused yet?"

He stood up straight. "You could say that. Unless you tell me that she just decided that you are a complete prat and she's walking out on you and so your heartsbroken response was to regenerate into … well …" he raked his hand up and down in the air. " _This._ "

That drew a laugh from Rose.

It drew a laugh from everyone standing in the living room, including Eleven. "Her husband – our  _brother,_ for lack of a better term – is a version of our tenth self." He shrugged. "A pretty boy prat, but a prat she's in love with."

"I regenerate into a  _pretty boy_?"

"You got  _that_  out of what I just told you? Did you completely miss the  _version of our Tenth self_  part of that?"

"No," he sighed. "I heard that. But, I also assumed that you would expand on that, so I didn't feel like utterin' a bark of incredulity about it." He looked toward Rose and extended his hand to her to invite her back to his side. "The  _pretty boy_  part of things is particularly horrifying and absolutely deserved said bark of incredulity." He wrapped Rose against his side. "Just tell me I didn't end up lookin' like Jack."

Rose looked up at him and smiled. Her tears were drying, and her eyes now pink instead of red. "No. Nothing like him."

"Thank Rassilon for that." He thumbed at her chin. "So. Bonded, yes?"

"Mmmhmmm."

"To me, or a version of me, anyway?"

"Yes."

He held her chin between his thumb and the crook of his index finger and dipped his head. "Then that should mean I'm allowed to do this." He moved to close the gap between them. "Like I've wanted to since Cardiff."

She gasped as his mouth found hers and he tenderly pressed a long and lingering kiss against her lips. Everything inside her warned that she should pull away from him, but she couldn't find the power to pull back. She could only clutch a fistful of his sweater and whimper against his mouth.

He released her mouth, and then pressed a small kiss, and then another, and then several more against her mouth before he finally drew away. He let the pad of his thumb stroke along her bottom lip as he looked down upon her in wonder. "Do I actually get to do that before I have to leave?"

She nodded quickly. "You do. Just the once."

"As long as it isn't a goodbye kiss."

"Spoilers," she breathed as she let her hand fall to his and laced their fingers together. Her face creased sadly at the familiar, yet long lost familiarity and comfort of it. "But I'll tell you this much: It was a kiss with the power of the Time Vortex herself."

He let up a laugh. "Now  _that_  is what a man wants to hear."

It was at this juncture that Nine finally took a good gander around the room to take notice of the other occupants. He felt a long lost tingle in the back of his mind – one that let him pin-point every Time Lord in the room. One, in particular, took his attention, and practically brought him to his knees where he stood. It was only the hold of Rose's hand that kept him upright.

"Mother?"

Marissa rose from her seat and held her arms open as she approached yet another incarnation of her beautiful child. She honestly couldn't get enough of it. "My Son."

He stood stiff and slightly confused, not even moving to share her embrace as she held him against her. He kept his hand firmly within Rose's grasp and looked helplessly toward Eleven as he mouthed a single word in question. " _How_?"

"Long story," he muttered dismissively. "And one I only want to tell once, so we'll just wait on the  _prat_  to get here, and we'll share the tale of the family Lungbarrow and how Rassilon's folly has allowed us all to break the Time Lock and escape Gallifrey's collapse."

Rose looked shocked, and maybe a little worried. " _He's_  coming?"

"Well," Nine gruffed without hearing Rose's query to Eleven. "Right there is explanation enough for me, I guess." He ran a sheepish hand over his head as Marissa pulled away from him. "Good to see you, though, Mother. How about Dad?"

She grinned broadly. "He's with your brother," she answered with a wink. "Running a couple of errands in his TARDIS."

He shot a panicked look to Eleven. "Braxiatel?"

Eleven shook his head. "No thank Rassilon."

Amy grinned. "We have a pool going as to which one of the lads will return in a new regeneration. You want in?" He held out her hand to the newcomer. "I'm Amy, by the way – gee you Time Lords are a rude lot, aren't you? Don't ever introduce the  _apes_  to each other." She turned sideways and pointed at Rory, and then to River Song. "That fair looking fellow is my husband, Rory. The stunning blonde is our daughter River Song. Who," she added coyly. "Is your future…"

"Spoilers!" River yelped.

"Oh," Amy said with a wave. "You know that all of them are going to make themselves forget all this anyway, so why bother dancing around what goes on in their future?"

Nine looked down to Rose, who was gnawing on her thumbnail and watching the doorway. "Do I really have to forget?"

"Timelines are out of synch, it's impossible for you to remember," Eleven answered with a shrug.

"So," Amy repeated. "About the pool. We're at twenty-quid a piece. Pick who's regenerating, and what they'll look like. I've got pinstripes coming back looking like Raggedy man here…"

"Pinstripes?"

"He wears pinstripes," Rose answered distractedly. "And Chuck Taylors." She released Nine's hand and rubbed at her abdomen as strode toward the kitchen. She looked over her shoulder with a smile. "But he looks much  _much_  better in jeans. Want a cuppa, Doctor?"

"Please," he called after her as he dropped into a chair beside the other Doctor. He nodded to the kitchen door. "Rose's on edge."

"Yeah."

"Because her husband is of swannin' about with Dad?"

Eleven shook his head. "She's got a bit going on in her head right now, least of which is what Pinstripes is up to with Dad."

"What else is going on?" He levelled a look at him when Eleven raised a brow of question. "You wouldn't have called me here if nothin' was wrong. If I'm here and she's here, then what I'm here for has everythin' to do with her."

"Ahh. Dad's got a grand scheme in mind that I don't want to have to participate in on my own. If I have to robe up and get pompous, you lot are coming right along with me." He slouched in the chair. "Pinstripes is citing being a meta-crisis as well as being as deep in this as he can get, so he's got immunity to Dad's whim."

"Meta Crisis, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Neck deep in it?"

"Yep."

"Is it something I should take him out back and pound him for?"

Eleven let up a laugh at that. "Yeah. If you're going to pound him for getting her in this position, then you may as well punch yourself." He slid him a look. "When it all boils down to it, it's your fault."

"Which means what?"

"If I tell you  _that_ ," He answered with a knowing smirk. "Then you'd go change it. It's a fixed point, you can't change it."

"What makes you think I'd try and change it?"

"Oh," he sang lightly. "Because I was you, once. I know what you'd do to protect her." He leaned in and gave a conspiratorial grin. "And kudos on having the guts to kiss her, Doctor, by the way. You were nothing if not ballsy in your incarnation."

"I'm  _her_  Doctor," he stated simply, as though it was the only needed explanation for anything regarding Rose Tyler.

"I thought that, too, when I was  _him,"_  he jutted his chin to the door, where the Tenth incarnation of the Doctor strode confidently through the doors, one hand in his trouser pocket, the other hand tossing a hypercube up and down.

"Then what happened?"

"He left her too."


	70. Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Tenth Doctor shows up at the Summer home for a reunion of sorts with Rose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this might be it for today ... I have another couple of chapters to get finished for my other works .... :)

"The  _Oncoming Storm_  and the  _Destroyer of Worlds_ ," Ulysses repeated in a bellow of laughter as they crossed, three men wide, through the double doorway into the TARDIS. "And you dare to call  _me_  the pompous one?"

The Doctor's eyes shifted to his amused father. "Yeah. Well. I guess I got that from  _you_ , then, right?" He wriggled his head from side to side like a child. "Perhaps I stole a page from the Book of Ulysses…"

"No need to get petulant with me, Son," Ulysses muttered with a roll of his eyes. "Especially as I was going to applaud your speech. It is a good speech. A very good speech."

"As I said earlier. I like my speech." He grinned. "Took me a full century or two or three to build up enough of a reputation to actually make people  _believe_  that speech."

"Can we stop saying speech," Jack muttered. "I don't even believe it's a word anymore." He caught two very indignant looks. "It's like when you write a word, or see it too many times, and all of a sudden it just doesn't look right any longer. There you go. Consider  _that_ word a moment.  _Longer_. Stare at it…"

"I really don't like where this is going," the Doctor muttered suspiciously. "I won't be considering any words that have a potential double meaning where you're concerned, Jack." His nose crinkled as the smell of their won battle wafted in through the open TARDIS doors. Burned wiring, plastic, explosives and other best unnamed singed odours. The Doctor had a mild wince on his face as he scratched his nails through sooty hair and nodded toward the doorway. "Close her up, will you, Jack? The smell of spent explosives will take a decade to air out."

Jack jogged to the doorway and shoved the twin doors closed. He pressed his rump against the door and shot the Doctor a grin. "I forgot how fun it was to get out there with you."

The Doctor made a happy giggling noise in the back of his throat and grinned a toothy grin. "Oh. I know. Rose'll be upset she missed out." He looked to his father. "Rose is a lot like Mother. She loves nothing more than getting down and dirty…"

"Ha!" Jack bellowed quickly before the Doctor could continue. "I  _knew_  it. I bet she's a right minx, that one."

"Jack…" It was a warning. The Doctor's voice may have held that small bit of humour to it, but it was warning enough that Jack opted to backpedal somewhat.

"Sorry, Doc." He held up both hands in surrender. "If there's one thing I've learned about being on the TARDIS, it's that you never upset the designated driver."

"And smack talking my wife will generally upset me."

Jack looked to Ulysees, who watched the exchange curiously and thumbed back to the Doctor, who brandished a rather evil grin toward the former Time Agent. "He knows that I'm impossible to kill, so he won't think twice about tossing me in the Vortex…" He hummed thoughtfully as he considered the double entendre. "Actually, come to think of it…"

"And with that," The Doctor quickly interrupted with an exaggerated sigh and a flick of a lever to send them up into the space just outside of Earth's gravitational pull. "We begin our search for Mickey and Martha. Did you know that they're married now, Jack?"

"I was at their wedding," he answered carefully. "Best man."

"Wow. Really scraping the bottom of the barrel then, weren't they?"

Jack levelled a suspicious stare toward the Doctor. "Got amnesia? You  _were_  there for the ceremony – even though you skulked out by yourself and left for the TARDIS before congratulating the happy couple.." He stalked a few steps closer, and made a rather spectacular show of taking in every physical aspect of the man standing at the console of the TARDIS. The Doctor actually rolled his eyes, stepped back, and then opened his arms wide to put himself on full display.

"I'm the Meta Crisis version, in case you're wondering." He looked down as Jack looked up from a stoop to his front. "Not that I'm suggesting you haven't already worked it out on your own, Jack. But I figured I'd try to save you time in trying to work it out for yourself, in case you haven't." He jutted his chin to his console. "And also because I'd really love to get back and pilot my ship before we tumble back into Earth's atmosphere."

"It's okay, Son, I'll handle the beautiful old girl for you."

"Oi," he barked back, still standing on display before Jack. "She's not old. This girl is a foxy young thing, thank you. It'll pay for you to remember that." He looked down at Jack. "You know how women are about age. Now. Are you quite finished with your assessment?"

Jack stood up straight and winked. "Will never be quite done with that." He poked a finger into his chest. "Two hearts. I thought you only had the one."

He shrugged. "Newborn Time Lords only have one heart." He dropped his arms at his sides. "We get the second one after our first regeneration."

"I see," he countered slowly. Still suspicious. "So how'd Rosie end up with you and not the original?"

"Original's an idiot," he answered with a shrug. He walked to the console and grinned over his shoulder. "But because he's an idiot, I got the girl. Win for me." He shook his head and watched over his father's piloting efforts. "He dumped us off across the parallel after the crucible, with the excuse that I was an evil and dangerous man because I committed genocide on the Daleks. "

Ulysses shook his head. "I really can't say that I find anything wrong with that."

"Wrong with  _what_ , exactly, Dad?"

"Oh yes," Ulysses muttered with sheepish rub at the back of his head. "Multiple facets to your words, weren't there." He went back to piloting the ship.

"No clarification on just which  _facet_  you were commenting on?"

"No, but feel free to pick whichever one will make you feel better."

Jack leaned in to the Doctor. "So this deliberately being obtuse thing is something you get from him, right?"

The Doctor curled a lip. "How many regenerations do you have left, Dad?"

"Why?"

"Oh," he laughed darkly. "Just curious. No reason, really." He stood behind his father and motioned hitting him upside the head with a cricket bat. He held the motion of the back swing, and looked to Jack. "So," his voice was strained having to hold the position, so he dropped his arms. "I take it you know how to find Mickey and Martha Smith?"

He pulled his cellphone from his back pocket and tossed it to the Doctor, who caught it deftly with his left hand. "Simple enough, actually. Call them." He looked at the screen as the Doctor swiped his thumb through the contact list with a frown. "Oh, he's listed under  _Hot Chocolate_."

The Doctor's eyes rose slowly, with mild disbelief, as his thumb hovered over the contact name. "I actually feel slightly dirty thumbing the words  _Hot Chocolate_  to get hold of Mickey."

"You should see what  _you're_  listed as."

He thumbed the contact and held the phone to his ear to wait for it to ring. "You don't have my number," he corrected with a flick of his brow.

"Oh,  _don't_  I?" he breathed in a coy, husky voice that made the Doctor actually drop and then juggle the phone to put it back to his ear.

The Doctor shot a look of sheer terror toward Jack, who laughed haughtily, when the line picked up. His attention shot straight to the phone, his voice crisp and jubilant. "Mickey! It's the  _Doctor._  Long time no see. You're well, I expect? … Well, my heartfelt congratulations to you both. Perhaps Martha and Rose could swap stories … Six months? That's brilliant." He slouched and circled his finger in the air as though begging that the small talk portion of the conversation cease any time soon. "I'm sure she looks very lovely and not fat at all … Moody? No, not Martha. She's a lovely even tempered girl." He looked to Jack for immediate assistance. He even took the phone from his ear and cradled it between both hands as he thrust it toward him. "This is talk for girls and is very unbecoming of a Time Lord to have to endure," he whispered harshly.

Ulysses laughed where he stood; a full bellow with his head dropped backward and his chest puffed out in front of him.

Jack snatched the phone and shook his head. "Mickey Mouse. Harkness … His Lordship has deemed domestic discussion to be beneath his title … Oh, you can tell him that yourself when we land. Where can we find you? … uh-huh? … Oh. I see." He looked to the Doctor with a smirk. "I'm sure we can give you a bit of a hand with that."

The Doctor wanted to smack his head on the console. "An hour," he moaned dejectedly. "This was supposed to take an hour, tops. Already we've crossed the 24-hour time stamp."

"Oh," Jack growled into the phone – the growl meant for the Doctor and not Mickey. "The Doctor looks positively thrilled to get back out there with you and me to kick some alien butt .. How long do you anticipate? …" He started to laugh. "At least a few days. Yeah. We're in .. Tell me where you are and I'll have the Doc drop the TARDIS there."

Ulysses held a grin of absolute thrill when Jack finally ended the call. "So is this your life, Son? Is this what you do, bounce around from battle to battle with no room to breathe?"

He shrugged. "There are days it feels like it, right Jack?"

"Yep."

"Sensational" Ulysses clapped his hands. "Then let's get to it, shall we? What is it you say, Son? Allons-y?"

"If we must." The Doctor let his eyes rake up the walls and into the ceiling to attempt to feign exhaustion and indifference. "The very last thing I want to do is materialize somewhere hostile and have to battle pinhead alien life forms. Not interested at all. Not. No. Never."

"You are so full of it," Jack challenged with a chuckle.

He looked to the TARDIS console. He looked to his Dad. He looked to Jack. He grinned. "Yeah. I am. Aren't I?" He dramatically flipped up the lever to throw them back down to Earth. "Off to London we go. Allons-y!"

~~oooOOOooo~~

The Tenth Doctor – the original – strode into the living room with his usual confident swagger. He didn't really take much on an analytical look around him. Instead he chose to keep his eyes on the rise and fall of the hypercube in his hand. It really was a cute little message box. No. Not  _cute_. That term really  _shouldn't_  be applied to a piece of Time Lord technology. But he really couldn't help it. It was cute. All glassy with its rounded edge with the crest of the Lungbarrow house designed on one side.

He didn't have to guess who the message was from. He did want to hazard a guess, however, as to how many of  _him_  he was going to encounter. There were already two blue TARSISes outside, how many more would show up?

Whatever was happening, it looked like it might be fun. Or not. Whatever. Anything to keep stalling for  _time_  and to ignore the incessant call of the Ood.

"I got your invitation," he called out cheerfully. "Where's the party at?"

"Right here, Pinstripes!" Amy called out with a grin. Her eyes then widened as she looked to the space behind him. She gasped. "Where's your Dad? Oh tell me you didn't throw him into the Vortex?" She huffed and gave a dramatic stomp of her foot. "That is not fair. I didn't have that on the pool options." She pointed sharply at him. "Go back and get him this instant!"

He shot her a look of incredible confusion. "Did I do  _what_? To  _who_?"

Eleven used the press of his hands on his knees to push himself to a stand. He patted his hand in the air to tell Amy to be quiet. "Wrong  _Doctor_ ," he corrected. "This one's the original  _Pinstripes_."

Her eyes shot wide and her lips pursed in amusement. "Oh.  _Really_?" She took a seat beside River and took her hand as she nestled against her side to settle in and watch.

"Well. This could get interesting," River muttered quietly.

Amy pursed her lips and shook her head. "Oh, is it creepy or what? He's  _identical_  to Pinstripes."

"I know," River agreed in a whisper. "Amazing."

Eleven made a casual walk toward his former self and slouched a comfortable lean in front of him. "Glad you could take time out of your busy schedule to drop by," he murmured. "I was expecting Four to show up…"

"Had nothing better to do," he said with a shrug. "One Doctor is as good as any,  _really._  Didn't figure it'd be wrong to come in Scarf's place."

"Not quite sure about that," Eleven said with a wince and a rub at the back of his neck. "Just where are you in your timeline right now?"

"Does it matter?" Ten shot back suspiciously.

Eleven rubbed his hand along his neck. "It might. Yeah. Actually, it does." He looked to the kitchen door, and then back to the Doctor. "It's important. Very important."

Ten rolled his eyes. "Just got back from 1562. Spent some time with Liz" He suddenly broke into a grin and nudged Eleven with his elbow. "Her reputation for being a … You know.  _Not entirely accurate._  If you get my meaning." He looked around the room and lowered his voice to one of disinterest. " _Well_. You were me once, so you  _would_ , wouldn't you."

There was a growl from the couch, but no movement. Eleven shot Nine a look of warning and then turned back to Ten. "Okay. Just so we're clear on the timeline. You're past the Crucible and Bad Wolf Bay, then?"

"Yeah. Cheers for bringing that up," Ten snapped aggressively. "It's taking considerable effort to forget that episode and put it behind me, yeah?" He looked toward the couch, and at several unfamiliar faces. "Looks like we've got visitors in the family holiday house." He brightened up quickly and moved around Eleven to make some introductions. He thrust his hands into his pockets and addressed Rory first with a big smile. "Hello. I'm the  _Doctor_. And you are?"

"Rory," he answered with a punch of his thumb toward his chest. That same thumb then went to Amy and River Song. "My wife Amy, and daughter River."

"Pleasure," he said with a smile as he let his eyes drift to Amy and then River. He laughed lightly. "Oh, me and River have met. Lovely to see you again."

"I'm sure," she breathed with an appreciative smile.

Rory continued as he nodded to Marissa and then to Nine. "I'm sure you remember your Mother, and your Ninth body."

Ten gasped and looked to both with a gaping mouth. "My  _what_?"

Rory then thread his arm across the back of his chair so that he could twist and lean up to thumb toward the kitchen. "Rose is in the kitchen making tea, and I think that's about everyone."

His head shot up to look toward the kitchen. "Rose?"

Eleven tried to offer warning before Ten launched to a run toward the kitchen, but ended up speaking too late. "Doctor, just wait…" When Nine shot up to follow his successor, Eleven attempted to stop him with a grab at his arm. "Give them a moment, please?"

Nine curled a lip and brushed his hand off his arm. "If he upsets her..."

Eleven shuddered at the low threat, but then looked to the ceiling and gave an exasperated sigh. "He's not going to."

"He better not," he growled as he strained his eyes to look through a crack in the doorway. He then looked back at him with a point of his finger. "Because if he does we'll have two of  _you_  'ere tonight."

Eleven slumped, lowered his head and let out a moan. "What in Rassilon was I thinking bringing the two of you here?"

Marissa threaded her hand along his back. "You. Both of you. Trust yourself," she offered. "Trust  _yourselves._ "

"I know  _myselves_  far too well to do that."

~~oooOOOooo~~

He wasn't exactly sure what he was supposed to expect when he burst through the doors into the kitchen. Several images had flashed in his mind in the scant few seconds it took between the couch in the living room and the door to the kitchen. All of those images shattered, however, the moment he breached the room and skidded to a halt just inside the doorway with a whispered call of her name.

Rose was in a lean in front of the sink, obviously in wait for the kettle to boil. Her arms were loosely folded against her chest, her head was low and her eyes fluttering lightly as though in very deep thought.

_By the Gods_ , she was beautiful. She practically glowed in front of him. As beautiful as … Well, he'd put her on a pedestal as his most magnificent deity and gladly revere her for the rest of his days. He wanted to rush her; to snatch her in his arms and pull her against his chest and never let her go again. Ever. Never ever.

And then never ever some more…

He made do with a tentative few steps forward, but held up his arms as though to reach for her from across the room. "Rose…"

"Shhhh," she hissed quietly without looking at him. Her eyes remained closed, and her head low, and a crease formed in the centre of her brow as she looked to give it one final and gallant effort. "I'm trying to do it, okay?"

"Trying to do what?"

"Trying to see her like you can." She finally let out a defeated huff and slouched. Her eyes loosened their tight-grip closure, but didn't open as she lifted her chin to drop her head backward. "I give up," she moaned in a strangled voice. "I can't do it, Doctor. I've got this big old Time Lord voodoo brain, but I just don't know how to use it."

Ten frowned lightly. "Oh-Kay. That's new." He took another step forward. "Rose, are you alright?"

Her eyes opened and she dropped her chin to regard the Doctor in front of her. It didn't take her an incredibly long time to determine that it was the original Tenth Doctor standing in front of her. That was especially apparent when she looked beyond the crack of the door and saw Nine standing just beyond with his arms folded across his chest like a sentinel guard.

"Oh. You're not my…" She let her brows rise and fall and blew out a breath. "Hello Doctor. Long time no see."

He dared a smile and another step forward. "Well. Been busy, yeah."

That made her laugh slightly and she stepped toward him with her arms out to encourage him to walk to her. They met in the middle of the kitchen and embraced warmly. It was a hug that was the absolute polar opposite to the one they shared on the TARDIS just after his aborted regeneration. He was the one to clutch a tight hold, to shift that hold to move yet tighter, to close his eyes and just  _feel_  and  _inhale_ everything that was Rose Tyler.

"By Rassilon," he breathed hopelessly. "I've missed you."

With those words, Rose stiffened lightly. She gave him one last relatively chaste squeeze, and then ended their hug and stepped back to put the breakfast island in between them.

"So," she began somewhat nervously. "How have you been, then?"

"Oh," he breathed along a rushed exhale. It didn't take a superior telepathic Time Lord to know that she was rather effectively trying to brush him off. "You  _know_ ," he muttered with a shrug. "Same as always, really. Me and the TARDIS."

"On your own?" she ventured quietly.

He looked at her for a long moment before he could answer. When he did, he preceded his words with a slow nod of his head. His answer barely passed as a whisper. "Yeah."

"I'm sorry to hear that," she offered with genuine empathy. "You shouldn't be alone."

He leaned his elbows down on the counter, mindful of how she seemed to recoil just slightly away from him. That she would deliberately move away from him like this broke his already shattered hearts and he lowered his head sadly. "I think I'm the one who needs to apologise."

Rose gave a nervous shake of her head. "You have nothing to apologise for." She looked to him with imploring eyes that begged him to drop it. "You did nothing wrong. What you did, it was the right thing to do – the  _only –_ thing you could do. We both understand that." She cleared a croaking voice. "And you know what? We're in love. He's happy. I'm happy.  _We're_ happy." The wet sniff was involuntary and it made his head jerk up to look at her.

"Rose…."

"We would never have had happiness like this if we were on the TARDIS, I see that now," she continued as though not hearing him say her name. She tried not to notice that he had pulled from his lean as was circling around the island to get to her, but it was fruitless. Every nerve ending on her body could feel his approach. She looked up into his face with wet eyes. "I would never have been  _this loved_  if I'd stayed with you on the TARDIS. You. You're incapable of it."

"No I'm not," he vowed with eyes tightening at her obvious agony.

"Yes, you are," she argued. "At least for me, anyway."

He carefully, tentatively, touched his hands to her shoulders. "You're the only one I  _am_  capable of … Well …"

She gave a sharp laugh and pulled roughly out of his grasp. "Jesus. You can't even say the word." She turned on him to ensure there was adequate distance. "How could you possibly  _feel_  it if you can't even  _say_  it?"

"You don't get to tell me how I do or do not feel."

"I think I've earned that right," she hissed. She punched down in the air ahead of her in lieu of stomping her foot. "I've damn well earned that right by now after being used up and spat out by Doctor Number Ten when the novelty finally wore off."

His eyes flashed in hurt, and then anger at her words. "That has to be – beyond all doubt – the most disgusting and insulting thing that has ever been said to me," he snarled in response. "And that's saying something when you consider the life forms I've encountered in my day."

"Well congratulations to me then," she snapped.

"Very mature," he deadpanned with a foul look. "You humans are all the same. I give you all of Time and Space…"

"And then you dump me off in a parallel universe without even a goodbye with a man that you assured me was very,  _very_  dangerous." Her voice took on a dramatic movie voiceover tone. "So dangerous, in fact, that even the mighty Oncoming Storm: Destroyer of Worlds wasn't enough to handle him."

"That's enough!" He barked.

" _Enough_?" She snapped back with practiced insolence. "Enough, why? Because you can't handle the truth and being told when you're being – or have been - an unreasonable and self-righteous asshole?"

"If you don't stop being a brat, right now…"

"Oh, you'll what," she snarled in challenge. "What? Put me over your knee and spank me? March off all  _Offgoing_  Storm back into your TARDIS?" She folded her arms arrogantly across her chest. "I'll go with door number two, considering it's your hallmark move."

He said nothing, instead opting for the best glare of sheer fury that he was capable of.

Rose flicked her hand to the door. "Well? Go on, then. Piss off back to your TARDIS. I don't need you."

He thrust his hands deep into his pockets, and then lowered his head just enough that he glared through thick brows at her. "Sorry to inform you,  _sweetheart_ , but I'm not actually here for you. I was called here on a different matter." He raised his head, but was sure look though invisible eye lashes at her. "You being here just happened to be a  _happy_  coincidence."

"Well isn't that just a wizard level of happy happy joy joy," she grumbled as her phone whined and wheezed like a TARDIS to alert her to a message. She very quickly snatched it off the counter before he could look at the alert on the screen. "The universe is definitely a cruel bitch, isn't she?"

Rose knew for a fact that it wouldn't be a message from anyone else – except maybe her Doctor – and so her hand shook as she brought the phone to her face to read the latest demand from her home world. She wasn't wrong, and choked at the text.

"Oh God," she moaned as she stared at the screen and covered her mouth with her hand. "No. No. Nonono."

The Doctor's furious façade faded immediately. "What's wrong?"

"I can't wait any longer," she muttered to herself in a panicked tone. "I have to get back."

Driven by instinct, the Doctor moved swiftly across the floor toward her. "Rose?" His voice held warning. "What's happening?"

She gave him a very brief, very terrified look, and it took every bit of control not to snatch her against him, take that phone, find out who had upset her, and then tear them limb from bloody limb.

"Rose, tell me."

She shook her head. Her voice a low, low whisper. "No." She inhaled a shaking breath. "This is my problem to deal with."

"Rose-"

She shifted her head to look down her shoulder and called for Eleven. "Doctor!"

Her cry brought two men barrelling through the door within a half second. Rose and the Doctor both jumped with shock, the latter moving forward without a second thought to put himself between Rose and them.

Rose could sense a potential irrational reactive strike by one or another of the Doctors, and so immediately thread herself between Nine and Ten to throw herself against Eleven's chest. She clutched at his lapel and shook her hands in a way that actually shook him.

"You have to take me back, Doctor," she begged. "I can't wait for him any longer. We have to go."

He stilled her hands with his. "We have to wait."

"No," she begged. "Please take me back. They're gonna hurt them. We. We can't let them."

He honestly didn't know how she did it, but Eleven almost swore up and down that there was a glimmering anime-style highlight in her eyes that made them so impossibly big, so impossibly pained, and so impossibly desperate. Both of his hearts splintered right then and there.

"Call him," he urged her with a gentle voice. "Call the Doctor. Tell him to come home and I'll guarantee you he'll be here inside a minute with that TARDIS and we'll all head back to your universe."

"Doctor," she pleaded. "Please?"

"And," he finished. "If he isn't back sixty seconds after the two of you hang up the phone, I promise you that I will take you back to your parallel, and  _together_  we will take out Torchwood and get your family back safe."

"Why can't we just do that anyway?"

He slid his fingers into her hair and cupped at her cheek. He smiled at the way she leaned her face into his touch. "Because  _he's_  your husband and he is, right now, working to pull together the resources we need to end the threat once and for all. If we barrel in there right now, then they'll only come back for the two of you again, and again." He looked down and touched at her abdomen. "And it's only going to get worse when they find out about this one. They'll do everything they can to get their hands on her, Rose."

"But…"

"Call him," he ordered more firmly. At her hesitation he frowned and looked up. "Mother! Can you please help Rose call my brother and tell him to get his skinny pinstriped arse back here before she takes off to Torchwood without him."

"She will do no such thing," Marissa growled as she stormed through the kitchen door and held her hand out to Rose. "My daughter, you will wait for your husband to return." She took Rose's hand and walked her out into the living room. "People like this are like weeds, child. They must be pulled at the roots. My husband, your husband," she looked back over her shoulder at the Three Doctors, "And his brothers, will make sure that the garden is clear. Trust them." She rubbed at Rose's arm. "I know this is frightening to you. But remember that we are a family of Time Lords. You will return before the first message was sent to your phone. No Tylers will be hurt."

"Hold on," Nine bellowed. "What's goin' on?" He turned in on Eleven. "Is this why we're here?"

Eleven nodded. "Torchwood on her Earth is as bad as the Torchwood was here." He looked to Ten, who wore an expression darker than he'd ever seen in the mirror on his darkest days. "You remember what Torchwood did to us."

"Yeah," he breathed on a terrifically short breath.

"Yes, well our Rose is their latest obsession."

"Solution's pretty simple then," Nine grumbled with a curled lip and disgusted glare. "Blow that place to kingdom Come."

"Dad pointed out the flaw in that plan," he answered with a shrug of his shoulder. "And as per usual, can't argue with his logic."

"Alright then," Ten queried along a very dangerous voice. "You'd better fill us in and make it convincing, because if I'm not impressed by the end of your explanation. I'll take her back myself, to hell with what  _he_ and my Father want to do."


	71. TT-Capsule

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tentoo and Ulysses try their hardest to get Ulysses' TARDIS up and running ...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. I lied.... another one to take us through until next week... I hope you enjoy - this was always one of my favourite chapters to write... Aside from a typo or two, I didn't change any of it.

The Doctor slouched in a lean against the console of a TT-Capsule that, although used by a man several centuries older than him, and most definitely had been travelling about that same number of centuries before him, was a younger model than his own TARDIS.

Well. The original one anyway.

She was a friendly looking machine. Warm. Shiny. Smooth. Kind of homey, actually. Like a house, a real house, with that kind of child-proofing quality to it that his machine lacked. It even had some of the pictures he drew as a loomling hung around the console room. Oh, and round things on the wall.  _The round things_. Oh. He liked the round things. He  _really_  liked them. He had no idea what they were, but when his  _desktop theme_  had the round things, he just knew that he really liked them.

He wondered if he could get some round things on his TARDIS…

He popped a chip in his mouth and chewed slowly as he contemplated a new desktop design. There was a curse in Ancient Gallifreyan from underneath the flooring at his feet, which made him look down with a smirk. "You kiss my mother with that mouth?"

Ulysses didn't emerge from the cubbyhole at the Doctor's feet, and so his voice was slightly muffled. "You tell her I said it, and I'll vehemently deny it."

He popped another chip into his mouth. "Mother will believe her precious little boy over you." He snickered. "She knows you too well."

There was another rather spectacular curse that had caused the Doctor to choke on his chip. He punched at his chest to dislodge it then coughed. He then stroked affectionately at the console of the darkened TARDIS. "Oh, sweetheart. That mean old man with his foul and dirty mouth didn't mean to say that to you."

"Give it a rest, Son."

"Don't you pay him any mind." The Doctor continued to stroke lovingly at the console. "Maybe you need to find yourself a  _real_ pilot. One who understands your most intimate needs and won't resort to disgusting gutter talk just because you've been a little starved of attention for eight hundred years."

Ulysses popped his head up out of the flooring and fired a rather impressive glare up through the darkness. "No power at all," he groused as he tossed a spanner across the console room floor. "I've got no way of powering her up to get her going."

"Well," the Doctor offered as he threw another chip into his mouth and held down the bag to offer one to his Dad. "She's humming, so she isn't completely dead." He dropped the bag of chips into his father's hand and patted him on the shoulder to ask him to move out of the way. "Let me take a look at her. My girl powered down like this the first time we ended up across the parallel. I might be able to find something and give it a boost."

Ulysses was aghast at the suggestion. "You? Tinker with my TT-Capsule? I think not."

"Why not?"

"Well," he barked with a creased brow. "You aren't allowed to. Simple."

"Oh get out of my way," he huffed with a roll of his eyes. "A second set of eyes down there will serve you better than you trying to find something with your ancient old man eyes."

"Says you who needs corrective lenses," he snapped as the Doctor pulled his specs from his pocket and slipped them up the bridge of his nose.

"Dad. Come on. I  _know_  what I'm doing."

"Absolutely not," he grunted. "A man cannot fool around with another man's TT-Capsule. It's highly inappropriate."

The Doctor answered that remark with nothing more than a raised brow.

"It'd be infidelity," Ulysses continued. He stroked the console. "She's been my loyal and most revered companion for most of my life. Another man touching and playing with her parts would be wrong."

"One," the Doctor breathed carefully, expending great effort not to burst out laughing at his father. "Mother is never to know that you ever said anything like that. Because  _that_ would be taken so wrong.  _Most revered_ , indeed. Two. You're a seriously disturbed man. Four – no, three – I'm not leaving a perfectly beautiful machine like this all alone in what will end up being her tomb if we don't move her now. Four. She has power to hum inside my head, which means she has power we can boost to get her the hell out of here. Five. You're a seriously disturbed man." He frowned. He pursed his lips. "Though I might've already said that."

Ulysses was unimpressed, but he climbed out from the flooring and dramatically indicated the hole in the floor like a show model showing off the grand prize on a game show. "If you think you can do better, Son, then go right ahead."

The Doctor grinned as he set his sonic screwdriver in between his teeth and jumped down into the flooring. "Thanks!"

Ulysses towered over the hole. "I warn you. If you touch anything you shouldn't I will pull you out of there by your ankles, drag you into your TT-Capsule, and will throw you into the Vortex. Your mother will understand, Trust me."

"It's a TARDIS," he corrected in a muffled voice.

"It is a TT Capsule. I will not refer to it by any of your cute little pet names."

"It's an acronym, not a cute name. Time and Relative Dimension in Space. TARDIS." There was a further muttering about the potential of  _cute_  names being created for his father, but it went largely ignored as the human trio wandered into the dark room with a couple of lanterns.

"Are the Time Lords having a little disagreement," Jack murmured as he handed Ulysses a bottle of amber liquid and encouraged him to  _drink up_. He thrust another bottle down into the hole. "Thirsty, Doc?"

"I'm right, thanks," he called up with obvious strain in his voice as he pulled at something.

Ulysses noticed the strain immediately. "You had better not be yanking on something you shouldn't be down there, Son."

"Jack," the Doctor growled. "Do me a favour and hit him please? He's driving me bananas."

"Yeah, and I'd have to be bananas to do it," Jack intoned with a shrug. "What's the problem? You told us you were only going to be about ten minutes. You've both been in here for nearly two hours."

Ulysses looked distressed. "No power in my old girl. Looks like we have to leave her behind."

There was a cheer, and then a clunk as the Doctor's head appeared to collide with the floor above his head. "Ahh. Crap. Forgot about that."

Mickey showed mild amusement and dropped into a crouch beside the opening, where the Doctor was shuffling out with a small lightly growing power cell cupped in his hand. "You alright there, Boss?"

The Doctor was all grins as he opened his hands to show Mickey the precious little power cell. "Lone little power cell. Remember, Mickey? Back in the parallel when my girl went dead? Same thing."

"Yeah," he answered with a smile. "Hell of a blaster as I recall."

"A beaut little side effect of Artron energies. Packs a mean punch even in teeny tiny doses." He held the struggling power cell to his father. "Seeing as it would violate some messed up code of intimacy between man and ship and the potential implications of infidelity if I were to boost it up, you wanna give her a little somethin' somethin'?"

Ulysses all but knocked the Doctor's hand away in disgust. "A little  _what_ , Son? Are you being deliberately obtuse?"

"Of course I am," he snapped. He thrust the power cell at his father. "Now. Give her some of your energy, or she's going to die." He thrust it to him a second time when Ulysses looked reluctant to take it. "Go on. If you don't, I will. It'd make a nice gift for Rose – we could have twin TARDISes." He shrugged. "If the Chameleon Circuit works on this one, that is. Not fond of the cylinder look. Police Box is much nicer."

"Retro," Mickey agreed with a gravelly tone. "So in right now."

Ulysses snatched the power cell from his son's hand and glared at him for a rather long moment. That smug little cobblemouse. His smug smirk. Drive a man nuts.  _Any_ man. No wonder he had armies running from him, that smug smile alone would drive a man insane enough to run away screaming.

The little cell tingled against his cupped palm, and with the care of a father tending to his newborn daughter, he moved it to sit across both hands and then blew a long breath against it. The Artron energy flowed from Ulysees' lips; a golden glittering tendril of raw power from man to machine. He stumbled against the console, temporarily dizzied by the sudden expulsion of power.

Martha was quickly at his side with a trained physician's touch of concern. "Are you okay?"

He nodded and quickly righted himself as the power cell in his hand began to glow fiercely. "How much do you think, Son?"

The Doctor raised his head and bit at his lip in thought. "Probably a half century or so." He looked back down with a shrug. "Behave yourself for the next little while and you won't even notice."

"Don't tell your mother."

"Hey," he said with a raise of his hands. "What happens on your TARDIS stays on the TARDIS. Unless your precious girl wants to betray her  _husband_  and scoff to Mother of course."

Martha looked between the two men and simply shook her head. "I'll never understand men and their machines. Honestly. You'd think they were living, breathing creatures."

Both Ulysses and the Doctor answered simultaneously. "But they are."

"I know," she said with a sigh. "That was directed at Mickey and his obsession for the Lincoln."

"A fine vehicle," the Doctor said with a grin. He pointed to the floor. "Right, Dad. Now get down there and see if you've got enough to get this sexy girl back to Borrav."

"Eager to get home?" Jack teased, his lips curled around the mouth of his bottle of beer.

"Yep," the Doctor answered without hesitation. "I haven't seen my wife in a week. I've had to put up travelling with the old man, and you," he levelled a look at Jack, "being all, well  _you_ …"

"You came to me, remember, Doc."

"I just want to go home," he continued with deliberate ignorance to Jack's comment. "Have a shower, spend some quality time with my magnificent wife, sleep…"

Jack laughed. "Quality time with Rose, yeah, that's a polite term for it."

"You do look quite fatigued," Ulysses noted. "When did you sleep last?"

He rubbed at his eye with his index finger. "Oh. 'Bout…" He yawned. "Back in our world before we scrambled out here I think I got about an hour or so."

"A week," he considered with a rub at his jaw. "That pushes the boundaries of our sleep cycle rather spectacularly."

"Survived with less," he answered back with a shrug. "Which made for some pretty boring days back on the Valiant." He pointed toward his Dad. "Now,  _that_  is a story you'll want to hear."

"I'm sure it is," Ulysses answered. "But I feel that perhaps you should abstain from  _quality time_  with your wife and do some sleeping when you return to Borrav."

The Doctor, Jack and even Mickey snorted.

"I'm sure that your mother and I can keep your wife appropriately entertained."

"Yeah," the Doctor muttered with a laugh. "I'll consider your advice." He gave a sudden manic grin and snatched a vibrating phone from the pocket of his pin striped trousers. "And speak of the devil."

"The Rose? That's her ringtone?" Mickey barked with a laugh. "Bette Midler? Oh Boss. That's just beaten  _I think you need a Doctor_  in the cheese ball stakes."

"She  _would_  tell you about that, wouldn't she?" he sighed in reply. His face quickly lit up. "Rose! How are the two loves of my life doing?"

It was Marissa that spoke down the line to him.

_"Son, when were you and your Father intending on returning?"_

He thumbed it to speaker. If he had to endure his Mother's nagging, then by the Gods so was his Father. "Our plan was to return a half hour after we left," he muttered. "Why? Where are we in the timeline at this call?"

_"Three hours, and you?"_

"Oh," he breathed in a lightly disbelievable tone of voice. "About the same."

_"Really,"_ She deadpanned in response. _"May I speak to your father?"_

"You're on speaker. He can hear you."

_"If I know my Son's manipulation of the timelines – and I do – then I will expect that you have been gone for roughly a week. Am I right?"_ She paused only a moment.  _"And I wouldn't lie to me to protect him if I were you, Ulysses."_

"I wouldn't dream of it, beloved," he answered with a shrug of apology toward his son. "You are indeed correct, we have been gone a week, but not without cause. In order to secure what we needed for Torchwood, we had a few hurdles to overcome."

_"Oh don't give me that bunch of Woprat excrement. You both went out and played about a little with some Alien trouble, didn't you?"_

Ulysses winced, the Doctor laughed soundlessly at him. "Indeed, but it wasn't for larks. It was for the good of planet Earth and her people."

There was a very loud, forced, long suffering huff from the other end of the line.

_"Well. Whatever the case may be, my son is required to return immediately."_ She cleared her throat.  _"The situation with Jackie, Pete and little Tony seems to have escalated somewhat, and your wife is in a state of unrest. For some reason that I expect all of you to explain to me, my words mean nothing in trying to hold back the ire of my children."_

The Doctor gave a pained look to both Mickey and Jack. "Is Rose starting to use threats yet?"

_"Threats, Son?"_

"Against me, I mean." He rubbed at his brows with thumb and finger. "When she gets antsy, I tend to come under threat if I don't move real quick. As I'm not there, I expect my brother is being rather sternly advised that if he won't take her back she'll fly his machine herself."

"She can fly it?" Mickey was impressed.

The Doctor shook his head with a frown that seemed actually amused at the suggestion. "No."

_"Indeed such demands have been made, however, I was able to convince her to …"_ She cleared her throat. " _She's taking a nap right now, so we have the blessing of time."_

His voice darkened just slightly. "I don't want to hear the hows of her  _taking a nap_  because I will likely get very, very mad at you, so I'm not going to ask about that."

_"A wise decision."_

"Is she okay?"

_"Emotionally spent and justly worried about her family. Your Tenth brother is sitting with her right now in the guest room."_

"Eleventh," he corrected tiredly. "Okay. We're just getting Father's TARDIS…"

"TT Capsule, Son. For the love of Rassilon…" He moaned. "Marissa, you know that my hearts beat most wildly for you, but this son of ours…"

_"Is magnificent,"_ She insisted sharply.  _"And you will play nice, Ulysses. He is under duress with the danger to his family, so you will cease baiting him this instant, am I understood?"_

Ulysses gasped in disbelief. "Yes, my love," he gravelled in embarrassment, especially when Jack laughed, and Mickey made a whip cracking sound. "As you desire. We are readying my TT Capsule for flight and will return no more than sixty seconds after we end this call."

_"Then I shall begin to count the seconds,"_ she teased lightly.  _"Fly safe."_

He rubbed at his brows and shook his head as he ended the call. "Mickey. Doctor. It is very imperative for you to know that to defy your wife in any way is to dance with the Demon himself." He glared at them both. "Pay heed to the warning that there is no greater danger in this universe than a wife who is upset with you."

Martha nodded in complete agreement. "Your father is such a smart man, Doctor," she breezed as she hooked her arm through his. "I'd definitely listen to him. Happy wife, happy life."

"Yeah yeah," Mickey moaned dismissively. "So we goin' or what? I'm tirin' of hanging about here twiddling my thumbs."

Ulysses tossed the power cell to the Doctor. "Set that in place please, and let me see if I am able to power up this magnificent time ship so that I can get back to your mother. We still have much to do before we can return to your parallel."

"We also need to stop it escalating," the Doctor growled as he buried himself in the floor and set the power cell back into place. He smiled brightly as the ship surged to life and lit up all around him. He pulled out from under the floor and thread his arms across the edge of the hole to take a good look around. "Oh. She's just as stunning as I remember she was."

Ulysses kissed at the monitor atop the console. "Oh. My beautiful ship. Have you missed me? I certainly missed you." His grin was wide. "So. Which of you will be flying with me, then?"


	72. The Agony of Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ten's confused and full of questions as he lays beside a sleeping Rose Tyler.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hated this chapter the first time that I wrote it. I absolutely hated every word of it.... So I tore it apart and pretty much completely rewrote it. 
> 
> For those of you who wonder why Nine was so accepting and Ten is struggling to do so ... well... They are two very different men. Nine is in a place where he's newly in love and wants to believe and grasp a tight hold on any and all possibilities. Ten is far more damaged than Nine ever was ... He gave it all up, and therefore refuses to believe that there was ever any possibility at all.
> 
> Honestly, of the two of them... Nine was more a bouncy puppy than Ten ended up being by the end of his incarnation.... 
> 
> That's just my take, of course. Everyone sees each of them differently.
> 
> Enjoy! I hope.... :)

~~oooOOOooo~~

The Tenth Doctor found himself very deep in thought as he lounged against the headboard of the bed.  At any other time he may have noticed and even focused on the opulence of the bed and the bedroom it sat at the centre of.  Luxurious and quite decadent, really.  Comfort that not even his TARDIS could provide.

But focusing on that would definitely be on _any other day._  Today he had much more pressing things to ponder about.  There were quite a few things that should have been given equal share of his attention: Time Lords. Mother. Father. Broken Time Locks. Multiple Doctors. Travel between dimensional walls.  Rose, here and sleeping soundly at his side.

He looked down at his sleeping love and former companion and let out a breath of apology at the small furrow that sat between her brows.  It was that small furrow that redirected any and all of his attention toward the most important point of interest he’d gleaned from today – and that was Torchwood going after the Tyler family.

Oh, he wished that he could express some surprise at the heads of Torchwood going after his Meta-Crisis self and Rose.  He really wished he could.  He truly wanted to believe that he’d dropped two parts of himself – his body and his hearts – in a universe that was safe from the tyranny and greed of the Torchwood in his home universe.  How utterly devastating it was to know that the hands he put them both in were even more cunning and dangerous than the institute that he could _actually_ keep an eye on and reign in when necessary…

…although of late that would involve reining in Jack.  And while Jack might approve of anything that involved chaps, stirrups, riding crops and reins, the Doctor was less than likely to want any of that nonsense.

No, ta.

He licked at his thumb and then gently pressed it to the furrow in Rose’s brow to relax it and erase it away completely.  It was only belatedly that he creased his own brows in question as to why he felt the need to lick that thumb first.  His own creased brow remained tight as he pressed the butts of his palms into his eyes and tried to will away to headache that was steadily building up behind them.

Too much going on and not enough information to let him process it all.  Full on neural implosion was imminent…

…But then again, matters involving Rose Tyler typically did throw a migraine or two in his direction. The only way to ease that pain – excluding a handful of the quite brilliant pain killers he’d picked up on Espision two centuries ago – was to solve the quandary that caused it.  So he may as well focus on his immediate concern, which was the magnificent creature lying beside him, and then scamper back to the other issues when the winds had died down a little.

Where to start? 

Well.  He had her phone, which offered him more information than what those idiots downstairs had. Perhaps a close analysis of the texts that had been sent to her phone might yield something he could work with. Maybe even give him some other option to play with other than simply going with his Ninth incarnation’s demand that the building be levelled by some great explosive compound that he'd procured on Esneshan.

And, oh … that compound was something else. 

He grinned as he slid lower into the pillows against his back.  He then stifled a rather vocal yawn with the back of the phone as he put one arm behind his head.   He shuddered out the remnants of the yawn and then unlocked Rose's phone with a swipe of his thumb.  Immediately he was greeted by the sight of himself – sorry his Meta Crisis self – messily asleep on what looked to be their couch. He gave a nondescript sniff and swiped to open the phone fully to him. The wallpaper had his Meta-Crisis self with a flower stuck in his hair and one behind his ear making a truly effeminate pose that should have been illegal for how unbecoming of a Time Lord it was.

Just what was that fool doing?  Or, more importantly, how did he get caught doing it?

Foolish woprat.

Curiosity had him hover the pad of his thumb over the photo app on the phone, but he paused before opening the folder. Did he have the right to pilfer through her photographs? Did he have the right to violate her privacy and look upon images that were personal enough to her that she kept them on her phone as treasured reminders of her most precious moments?

By the will of Rassilon he wanted to see its contents. He wanted to. He wanted to look through each and every picture and make sure that the man he left her with had done everything in his power to make his beloved Rose Tyler the happiest and most loved creature in the universe.

She deserved that. She deserved it all and then some. Rose Tyler, who had been through hell and back all because of the love she had for one wounded, damaged old man, deserved the entire universe.

He let the phone drop to the bed and pressed the butts of the palms of his hands into his eyes. "Why?" he queried himself along a very long breath. "Why am I torturing myself?"

He heard his name pass through Rose's lips in a longing and needful whisper as she shifted slightly on the mattress beside him, and dropped his gaze toward her. His own breath escaped him with a shudder. By the Gods she was so beautiful. So  _touchable._  So close and within reach.

His hand moved to curl a lock of her hair behind her ear using the barest touch of the tip of his pinky finger. Again, his breath drew from his chest in a ragged exhale and he had to close his eyes against the onslaught of desire that rocked through him.

"Rose Tyler," he breathed with a shake of his head, and then a pinch at the bridge of his nose. "What have you done to me?"

Her response filled his mind as it sang to him in flawless and fluent Gallifreyan. It was a song of promise that her hearts belonged to he and he alone. The promise, and the way she spoke it in his native tongue pulled at a primal instinct inside of him, and he snatched his hands forward to pull her against him. His eyes were wide, his brows high, and filled with tears of regret as he looked over her head at the wall behind her.

Why?

Why was he such a fool to have let her go?

_Never cruel or cowardly._  Those words and that promise swam through his mind. It was a promise that he'd made to himself when he had chosen the name of  _Doctor._  His vow that he would never give up, never give in, that he would never be cruel or cowardly.

He broke that promise. He shattered it the day he met and ultimately fell in love with his beautiful pink and yellow human.

He  _gave up_  on happiness. He  _gave in_  to self-recrimination . He  _was_  cruel – but cruel only toward himself, and was most definitely a coward.

A coward too scared to fall in love and then have to fall into heartbreak. Well. Now he had both, didn't he?

He held her tightly against his chest – her head on his shoulder – and nuzzled his nose into her hair. "I love you," he vowed in a whisper that was barely audible. "By witness of the Gods I vow that I love you." He dropped his chin to bury his face into her hair. "For this regeneration and for the rest of time, it's your name that'll keep me fighting."

"Stop fighting," she murmured in his native tongue. "Be in love, my Doctor, not at war."

"I can't," he admitted softly.

"I can't means  _I won't_ ," her mental voice chided him softly, still inside his mother tongue.

"It's too late," he whispered sadly.  “It’s _always_ too late.”

"Then you will continue to break each of your own hearts, my Doctor."

"How can my hearts break when they were never even whole to begin with?" He pulled her yet closer and kissed against her hair. "My only hope of mending my hearts is lost to me now."

"We're bonded," she reminded him softly. "I'm never lost to you. I'm yours. Forever."

"And I'm yours," he whispered back sadly. "Forever."

_Bonded._ Now _that_.  That was a word that caused his brows to pinch tightly at the centre of his forehead.  Bonding was a rite, a ritual achievable only by consent of two telepaths.  Rose wasn’t a telepath.  She was human.  Humans didn’t have the mental capacity to even be halfway able to achieve a telepathic bond with another.  By the Gods, if she was, if she had an even halfway identifiable telepathic signature, then he would have grasped her to him and formed a connection the very moment that they’d met back in the basement of Henricks.

Oh, but his mind was so agonizingly silent back then.  He was so destroyed and so lost in the silence of his mind that he’d have forged a connection with her whether she wanted one with him or not.  That was where he was back then.  He would have clawed his way back to the surface of sanity using her gilded telepathic rope to pull himself out.

Her mental click of gentle admonishment made him gasp, as did the words that swirled in a long disused ancient text known only to his people.

“Now that would’ve have been very rude, wouldn’t it, my Doctor?”

His breath drew in sharp and then held inside his chest.  Had she actually just spoken in his mind?  Was this an actual conversation held silently between them; or was he merely fabricating her words to try and convince himself that he was worth so much more than he gave himself credit for…

…because he knew beyond all doubt that she _would_ convince him of that?  Rose always knew the right words to say, and how to bring him back down to Earth.  She made him think.  She made him believe.  And damn her to the end of the universe, she made him fall in love…

He grit his teeth tightly together, enough so that his cheek dimpled in response, and swallowed thickly.  With a slow and careful movement he allowed himself to pull himself closer to him and looked questioningly into her face.  Oh, but she looked so peaceful and serene and content to be held inside his arms. 

He swallowed hard when he heard her let out a sigh in her sleep and snuffle closer toward him.  Her nose was now in the crook of his neck and her warm breath against his neck stirred a need within him that he’d spent a very good part of a millennium trying to suppress.  He could feel her all around him, swimming through him, and touching long forgotten recesses inside his mind that had been so quiet for far too long.

Rassilon.  Why was she so able to get to him like this?  And why now?  When they actually travelled together, he could always swat away the urges that hit and then walk away from them relatively unscathed.  Right now, however, he was struggling to fight through it.  He certainly knew that he’d be physically incapable of pulling away from her right now.

Why?  How?  

He determined fairly quickly that the mental voice of Rose that talked inside his mind was one that he had obviously created.  Invented and carefully moulded to converse with rather than continue to talk to himself (sorry, _seeking expert opinion_ – Time Lords don’t _talk to themselves_ ).

The word _: Bonded_ sang out in his mind.

His face creased and contorted into a wince of disgust at himself.   That was wishful thinking … _obviously_.

But by the Gods, if they had.  It if was in any way possible to achieve a marriage bond with her, then to hell with his Meta-Crisis.  He would sneak off in the TARDIS with Rose in his arms and make that bond with her with decadent indulgence.

Wishful thinking, that.

He let out a dejected sigh and rolled onto his back to stare at the ceiling. Rose's head still lay on his shoulder, and so in order to maintain both of their comforts, he let his arm curl across her shoulder to stroke at her hair. He tried valiantly to ignore the swooping of his stomach when her hand slid across his belly to lay her arm across his waist.

_"So back to thinking, which is what I do best, I suppose_ ," He thought to himself with mild defeat.  Her knee rose so that her leg could hook around his, and The Doctor’s mind actually squeaked in response. "Think.  Doctor.  Not about that.  Not that.  _Think about what we need to do to help her,"_  his mind reminded him as his body attempted to transfer his thoughts elsewhere, " _not what we_ want _to do…_

_…No matter_ how much _we want to do it."_

He cleared his throat and thought of many unsavoury images in order to quell what was a rapidly rising desire. The proximity was getting too much to fully concentrate – big Time Lord brain and all – so he clenched his eyes shut in an effort to focus all of his attention on…

His eyes opened in a flash.  _The phone!_ Oh yes, the messages. That's what he'd begun to investigate before he got distracted. He could levy all of his thoughts, function, and focus on the little piece of glass and aluminum Earth technology. Rose could cuddle against him all that she required, his mind would be adequately occupied so as to ignore it completely.

Brilliant.

He once again took the phone from the mattress and unlocked the screen with as little a cringe of jealousy as he was capable.

…Time Lords don't get jealous, after all…

Why his thumb chose to pick the photo library app instead of the app two icons to the right of it, he will never know. But he shrugged and let his thumb do the walking – so to speak – and started to flick through pictures starting from the most recent to the oldest image.

He moved through the photographs, many of being shots of Rose and the girls messing about and candid shots of plates of food, the two Doctors, the TARDIS and…

He blinked, frowned, and found himself rising to a seat on the bed. Rose moaned as she tumbled off his shoulder, but she rolled over onto her side without waking.

"What in  _Rassilon…?_ "

There were photographs of the girls, of Rory and of the two Doctors that were clearly taken from the great hall of Lungbarrow. There was no mistaking the intricacies in the weave of white tree limbs that formed the structure of the house. The blurred scamper of a tafelshew just off frame, and the looming presence of the wooden drudge in the shadows only added to the evidence. He was shocked further, then, to see both River Song and Rose in full Mount. Cadon Academy uniforms, posing to the camera as though it was their very first day of school.

But that would mean…

_Gallifrey_. Somehow the two Doctors had managed to not only take the girls into Gallifrey, but had managed to get both Rose and River Song into Cadon. But that was impossible. He covered his mouth in his hand as he continued to scroll to find answers and finally fell upon a single photograph that almost made his hearts stop completely.

A selfie taken by Rose of three cadets at Cadon: Herself, River Song, and his nine-year old self.

_"Akytior."_

The word fell from his lips as languidly as honey falling from a spoon; slow, smooth, and thick. That name, and that unusual and beautiful woman he'd met at Cadon, a Time Lady who shone like the sun and had Rassilon, himself, bow to his knees in reverence…was …

… _Rose_?

He touched at the chain that he wore underneath his Oxford. The chain holding a key that had been given to him by Arkytior so many centuries ago. The key to her heart, she had said to him.  Now, so many centuries later,  it was the key to  _his_  heart. He'd had the locks on the TARDIS changed to accept this key back when he first took her. It was the key he used as the master for all the keys he cut for his companions, his very own covert way of offering them the key to his own heart.

He shot up off the bed and began to pace.

It couldn't be. Arkytior could not be Rose Tyler, this had to be a very unfortunate manipulation of the timelines by two obviously idiotic Time Lords wanting to show off for their companions.

Arkytior was a Time Lady, fluent in Gallifreyan, a brilliant Quantum Mathematician who outshone even the great Professor Lovol.  A brilliant and compassionate telepath whose mind he had imprinted against his own when he was a loomling so long ago.

Rose Tyler was woman with many glorious and enviable traits, but those listed above weren't any of those. Rose was Human. She didn't speak or write in the tongue of Gallifrey, and, although brilliant in her own right, she certainly wasn't gifted at Quantum Mathematics.  She certainly wasn’t a telepath.

He continued to pace as he remembered that day. It was the ninth anniversary of his nameday, the first without his mother and father to celebrate with him, when he met them. Arkytior and River. Two highly unusual Time Ladies who seemed to immediately capture his attentions and affections. They came to his aid against his cousin and without question took him under their wing. They were so different to the Time Ladies he knew. So different. So exotic. So fascinating. As Arkytior took his hand and seemed to touch at his very soul. His young self had imprinted himself on her almost immediately so as to make her a friend of his for life, so that no matter what regeneration he was in, even if he couldn't recognize her face, he would immediately know that she was special to him, and to trust her.

The Doctor began to pant just slightly as he remembered further into that day and how Rassilon had arrived and challenged Arkytior to a duel. She had shone like the sun during their battle, shone like the brightest star in the sky and had brought the mighty Rassilon to his knees.

But not before he had practically destroyed her on the mats in front of him. He remembered her cry of pain, the way her body so unnaturally hung with injury. He had tried to intervene, to protest for her safety as she had done for him only moments before.

That was when the Goddess was drawn from within the woman; when her soft, but beautiful inner glow ignited into a brilliant, magnificent light. All fire, and ice, and wind, and a long haunting howl.

Then the arrival of a blue TT Capsule.

A man in a blue pinstripe suit with wild spiked hair, manic eyes – the Storm - emerging from within the ship to call the beautiful young Arkytior his wife.

Rassilon calling her by another name. Two names. Two words:  _Bad Wolf_.

His breath flew into him hard as he turned abruptly and fell to his knees beside the bed. "Oh, Rose. What did travelling with me do to you?" he questioned himself as he finally succumbed to his grief. He clutched fistfuls of the thin sheet covering the mattress and dropped his forehead into the edge of the mattress beside her hip. He pulled at the sheet, rising against the mattress and then falling again. Rocking up and down as the grief within the man finally released.

It all crashed down upon him at that moment. Seven hundred years of aimless travelling, of having no roots, no love, no home and no hope. Seven hundred years of loss; lost companions, lost worlds, lost loves, and at times a lost mind.

Noone really survived travelling with him in one piece. Even when they did volunteer to leave him, they were the same person they were when they met. He took brilliant and wonderful people and turned them into weapons. Davros was right. He was a cursed man who destroyed good people.

No wonder he was always alone in the end. It was what he deserved.

A tender touch drew his sodden eyes up over the hunch of his shoulders.

"Doctor?"

Even with tear blurred eyes, he could see she was still in her Marissa-induced sleep state. He sniffed deeply and wiped at his nose with the sleeve of his Oxford. "Rose…"

"You 'Kay?" She stroked her hand against his head.

"No, Rose." He sniffed a wet sniff. "I'm sorry," he promised sadly. "I'm so sorry."

She shushed him with a smile. "You're just tired."

"I am," he admitted as he slowly rose to a stand and leaned his hands on the bed to find his balance. "I'm so tired." He undid his tie and slid it from his collar with an almost painful full extension of his arm. "So very tired."

She lifted the duvet to invite him to join her. "Come to bed, my Doctor. I'll chase your nightmares away."

He fell onto the mattress at her side and curled around her as she let the duvet fall over them both. "I'm sorry, Rose," he vowed. "For everything."

"I forgive you," she purred in response as she buried her head into the softest part of his shoulder and curled around his arm. "I forgive you."

As the Doctor's fatigue finally overtook him, he was only vaguely aware of the sound of a pair of materializing TARDIS machines out in front of the property, and then a decidedly chipper voice calling through the house.

"Honey. I'm home!"


	73. Twin Boxer Briefs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ten and Tentoo have a few words...

Martha and Mickey had drawn the short straw to fly the trip back to Borrav in Ulysses' ship. Martha had been more reluctant than Mickey, but as his wife she had little choice when Mickey had lost the game of  _Rock, Paper, Scissors_  against Jack Harkness.

The Doctor and Jack were amused, then, to see Mickey shoot out of the door of Ulysses' TARDIS with his hand over his mouth inside of three seconds after the ship had materialized. Martha followed closely behind, with a slow stride and a shake of her head. She leaned a gentle stoop over Mickey's crouched and retching form and gave the Doctor and Jack a weak smile.

"Didn't know he got travel sick," Jack mused quietly with definite amusement in his tone. His gaze shifted to the open TARDIS doors as Ulysses walked out with a rather embarrassed expression on his face. "Or only with really bad piloting?"

The Doctor immediately indicated Mickey's condition with both hands. "What'd'ya do to him? Mickey's a good passenger!"

"Yes. Well," Ulysses muttered with a sheepish rub at the back of his neck. "It would seem that the bond between ship and pilot has been tested these past 800 years. She wasn't exactly behaving herself up in the vortex."

The Doctor rolled his eyes and took stride beside his father toward the stairs that led up to the patio. "She's upset with you for threatening to leave her back there, isn't she?"

He cleared his throat. "That, and I believe my language may have upset her a little. I will apologise to her. After, of course, she's had some time to think about her behaviour." He leaned toward his son. "Will your friend be okay, you think?"

The Doctor looked down his shoulder to take a look toward Mickey. "Gonna make it, Mickey?"

Mickey wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand. He cleared his throat and gave a nod as he pointed a finger of accusation toward Ulysses. "I am  _never_  flying with that mad man again," he charged. "And I thought that your piloting was rough."

"I happen to be a very fine pilot," the Doctor admonished with a sniff. He looked back when Jack slapped his hand against the Doctor's arm. "What?"

"Did you happen to notice the overabundance of TARDISes parked in your garden?"

The Doctor frowned a moment, and then looked around Jack's head to look at the Garden. His eyes shot wide to see four blue Police Boxes and a single capsule-shaped machine. "What?"

Jack deliberately, slowly, pointed to each one in count. "There's one. Two. Three. Four Police Boxes and one puke mobile."

"I take offence to that name on behalf of my ship," Ulysses gravelled with heavy impudence. "She is just having a very bad day." He did offer a surprised look at the common theme between machines. "Is this a common form for the TT Capsule to take amongst you kids now?"

"No," the Doctor answered shortly. "There's only one person who uses that theme for his craft." He began to stalk up the stairs. "And for the love of Rassilon, I'm not a kid."

"Well with  _that_  attitude you're not making a very convincing argument."

"Bite me."

"That's not much better."

The Doctor made it to the top of the stairs and paused. He knew who was inside. Of course he did. There was only one mad man in a blue box, and that was the Doctor. He also knew very which exactly which Doctors were the ones that had parked their machines in the garden. Nine and Ten. Who else?

The better question was  _why_ , and Eleven certainly had some explaining to do to clear up that little problem.

He took a few very deep breaths to calm himself before he walked into the home. He wasn't completely concerned with Nine being on the scene, but certainly had more than a few issues with Ten being close by.

For obvious reasons.

He looked to Jack. "Would it betray my reputation if I was to fly in there, grab my brother by the throat and throttle him?"

Jack thrust his hands into his pockets and shrugged. "Depends on which reputation you're referring to. There are a few being spread around."

He seemed almost delighted by that. "Really? Oh. Well that's just brilliant. Reputations, even if they are unsavoury typically mean that you're doing something right."

"Or very,  _very_  wrong."

"Pot-ay-to, pot-ah-to." He gave a firm clap of his hands and rubbed them together. "Okay then. Let's go on in and say hello to the former selves, shall we? Try not to get too attached, you only end up with me and Bowtie at the end of the day, after all."

Ulysses grunted as he passed by. "Don't you let your mother hear you say that," he warned.

"What? She has a problem with the truth?"

Mickey gave a firm laugh at that. "Oh, yeah. She's a woman. They've always got a problem with truth, especially when they ask if those pants make their butts look big or do I look fat…" He caught a glare from Martha. "But you, my beautiful wife. I only ever speak the truth to you. You are always lovely and slim and brilliant and …" He lowered his voice. "Help me out here, guys."

"You dug yourself into that one," Jack said with a shrug and a slap on his shoulder. "Good luck to you."

The Doctor chuckled as he palmed open the doors and bellowed in the most chipper voice he could muster. "Honey. I'm home!"

Nine stood up quickly from his seat on the couch. He looked to the Doctor, he looked upstairs, and then he looked to the Doctor once again. "What're you doing over there? I thought you were upstairs with Rose?"

"No," he remarked carefully as he thumbed to the outside. "I've been away with Dad picking up the Motley Crew for Operation  _Demolish Torchwood_." His mind clicked, and his expression went suddenly dark. "Oh. You. Are.  _Kidding_. Me."

Marissa stood up quickly from her chair. "Son. Just wait a moment."

"I'll kill him," he growled as he dropped his two plastic bags containing take-out from the Fish and Chips shop in London and launched into a run upstairs. "I won't give that bastard a chance to regenerate."

Marissa covered her face in her hand and dropped back into her seat. "Oh, just go ahead and fight then. No coming to me to kiss your boo boos when you're finished." She raised her chin to accept a kiss on the cheek from Ulysses. Welcome back, my love. You're late."

"Only by ten point three seconds, dear." He sighed a long suffering sound. "My TT Capsule is mad at me."

"Poor dear. I'm sure you'll make it up to each other later." Her eyes then trailed upstairs. "As for the boys. Do we leave them?"

"They're big lads."

"Oh," Jack laughed a low chuckle. " _Oh_. A Doctor on Doctor fight would be just as hot as a girl on girl fight." He walked backward to the stairs and thumbed over his shoulder. "Maybe I'll just head up and…"

"Leave them be, Jack," Eleven warned on a breathy tone. "They've got some things to work out, so leave them." He gave a fortuitous grin. "It'll be worth your wait to just …  _wait._ "

"Ahhh," Jack purred. "You've been here before, so you know!"

"If you want to believe that. Yeah. Go right ahead." He nodded toward Nine. "So in the meantime, why don't you reconnect with my Ninth self – you know, the one you thought was a bit of alright?"

Jack grinned a cheeky smile as he stopped and analyzed the looming form of the Ninth Doctor. "Well.  _Hello_  Doctor. Long time no tease."

Nine merely raised a brow. "I left you in London with Rose only a couple of hours ago," he said with a chuff. "That's not quite enough time between teasing if you ask me."

A disgusted huff burst through the room before Jack could move to engulf his original Doctor in a very no-quite-platonic man on man hug.

"Leather and denim? Are the Gods looking to torture me into regeneration?"

Nine spun, eyes wide and slightly horrified. "Dad?"

~~oooOOOooo~~

The Doctor ran a very heavy footed dash toward the guest room that he believed his mother would have placed Rose for her  _nap_. He let his mind create several different scenarios of punching his counterpart across the face. Punching him and then squaring a few rather well placed kicks accented by a few rather brilliant Gallifreyan curses that would make even a TARDIS Dry Dock worker blush.

Kill him. Yes. Indeed. Kill him, wait for mid regeneration, and then kill him again so he couldn't come back.

Then again, maybe let him regenerate. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he did kind of like his Eleventh regeneration a little bit. Amy could also start a second pool:  _Which is which?_

His big Time Lord mind finally settled on a suitable punch and swear combination as he made it to the door of the bedroom. Without a thought or care that his wife was sleeping and that a loud noise may well startle her awake, he shoved at the door. It swung open noisily with enough force that it rattled on its hinges.

There they were, on the bed in front of him, asleep and wrapped around each other under the duvet. It was intimate. Too intimate. His gold brickin' sonovabitch brother had gone beyond his task of merely sitting with her in case she woke, to climbing into the bloody bed with her no doubt pretending he was him so that if Rose woke up she would think he was him and somethingjustmighthappen….

He panted in fury where he stood for long several seconds before his body would actually obey his mind's demand for movement and allow him to step into the room. He moved in a slow stalk toward the bed. His hands curled into fists to ready a strike.

The curse that was forming in his throat died on his lips when he was finally close enough to see his brother's face.

Damn, if the man didn't look completely destroyed. He was asleep, but it wasn't in any way a sound and comfortable one. His eyes were swollen. Tear tracks stained his flushed cheeks. His nostrils were still shining and in need of a rather solid wiping. Even his hair – his proud and spiking mane, was dull and flopped down flat on his head.

If he didn't know the opposite, this Doctor could be forgiven for thinking that this man was human … and a dejected and demoralized one at that.

He slumped where he stood, and for the first time he cursed Rose for  _making him better._  He should, right now, kick that man's sorry arse out of the bed, beat him to a pulp, and crawl into that bed to claim his wife in the loudest and most possessively territorial manner as possible just to bring that point home. What his hearts were telling him to do, however, was to give that man his moment. To allow him that one little piece of comfort so that he could maybe leave this place like a Time Lord should: proud and with shoulders high.

He cracked his neck, scratched at a sideburn and looked to his sleeping wife. "Because I love you," he breathed softly. "I'll give him one chance. One."

She merely murmured and nestled deeper into the Doctor's shoulder.

"Right," he croaked as he pinched his fingers onto the Doctor's toe and gave a hard tug. "Wake up."

The Doctor gasped and shot up to a seat. Once again, Rose was forced to fall off his body, and she rolled onto her other side in defeat. The Doctor scratched at his throat and looked toward the end of the bed, where his counterpart stood like a looming guard ready to shoot.

"Oh, hell. It's you." He slid off the bed. "Right. You're here. You can take over."

"Get your kit off," The Meta growled.

The Doctor snapped a look up at him, suspicion across his face. "Excuse me?"

"I said  _get your kit off_ ," he repeated dryly. "Rose hates it when I climb into bed with my trousers and Oxford on." He indicated those items still on the Doctor in front of him. "Boxers and undershirt.  She'll be okay with that." He shrugged. "She prefers no kit at all, but I'm drawing a line."

"I don't understand."

Tentoo coughed and dramatically covered his brow in his hand to indicate he was disappointed. "Are you sure you're Time Lord? Or did you pass on your intelligence to me and are now no smarter than a woprat?" He pointed to his trousers. "Kit off, get back into bed, and get some sleep. You look like hell." He started to remove his own clothing with deliberate effort to show his counterpart how it was done.

The Doctor shot him a dubious glare. "And, what, you're going to get undressed and join us as well? What? Have you become Harkness during you time across the wall?"

"Yeah," he deadpanned facetiously. "I've just spent a week with the man, guess he's rubbed off on me." His eyes widened and he coughed. "Let me rephrase that…"

The Doctor shook his head and moved to leave the room. "Forget it."

Tentoo grabbed at his arm with a firm grip. "I'm guessing that our brother brought you here to help out with our problem at Torchwood. Now. You look like the cat chewed you up and then spat you out like a furball. You're useless in this shape. I'm destroyed myself, and need to sleep." He pointed to the sleeping woman on the bed. "The only way that either of us stand a chance at a decent sleep is in a bed with her, so stop your arguing and just…" He sighed.  He lowered the tone of his voice.  "Just do the universe a favour and listen for once. Rose would insist. In fact she'd probably kick, cry and scream and demand that it happen, so just. Just do it. It's only sleeping for Rassilon's sake."

"And you're perfectly okay with it."

"Absolutely not," he growled. "But." He let go of the Doctor's arm and let it fall to his side. "But it's either I allow myself to go along with this, or I will spend the better part of the next twenty minutes kicking your skinny pinstriped arse because I found you in bed with my wife. That would just piss off our mother and I don't want to have to go through the motions of  _kissing and making up_ just to make her happy." He undid his trousers and let them pool on the floor at his feet. "Your choice."

The Doctor watched as his counterpart shucked off his Blazer, Tie and Oxford, and then slid onto the bed beside Rose. His eyes softened, and his heart seemed to ache as he watched him tenderly press the length of himself up against her back and pull her tightly to him.

As intrusive as he felt just watching them, the Doctor found that he couldn't argue. The short moment that he had succumbed to his fatigue, it had been the best rest he'd had since Canary Wharf – and all because of the woman in the bed in front of him. He finally sighed when his counterpart looked back to him.

"Okay," he breathed as he unbuttoned his shirt. "It's just sleeping after all."

"Like we used to back before Canary Wharf."

The Doctor nodded with a small smile. "Relaxing in the library just isn't the same." He dropped his shirt off his shoulders and worked on the clasp and zipper of his trousers. "I had the TARDIS jettison the loveseat we used to share with her."

"Shame you couldn't have dumped it on the beach when you left us there," he muttered quietly.

With slow deliberant movements, the Doctor slid onto the mattress opposite his counterpart. He looked across Rose's shoulder with discomfort as he nestled into the pillow. "Right. G'night."

The Meta shifted closer to the woman in his arms and looked at the guarded expression on the Doctor's face with tiredness. "So," he began in an effort to try to relax him. "How have you been anyway?"

The Doctor kept his eyes closed and answered gruffly. "How do you think?"

"There's no need to be tetchy," he groused with a huff. "I'm just trying to…"

"Stop me from sleeping, which is the sole reason that I am lying in this bed in nothing but my underwear next to the woman I love – but I am forbidden to touch – and my clone…" He paused and started to chuckle. "That sounds exactly as absurd as I think it does, doesn't it?"

"If we were anyone else, then yeah." He snickered into Rose's hair. "But. We are the Doctor, and we pretty much have sole propriety over  _absurd_  wouldn't you say?" He propped himself up on his elbow to look over Rose's head at his counterpart. "I mean, take a look in our living room. We have two more versions of ourselves, six companions all from different time-lines, a future wife, who is our wife only we haven't actually married her yet because our timeline runs opposite to hers." He inhaled a deep breath. "Shall I continue?"

"Ahhh," he breathed through an open mouth. "It's what makes us  _us_ , isn't it?"

"It is." He leaned his ear on Rose's temple. "But really. What's been going on? You look a right mess."

"The Ood," he answered painfully. "They're calling me, and I’m just not ready to answer them."

Tentoo nodded knowingly. "You're worried about their warning."

The Doctor nodded.

"And so you're doing everything in your power to ignore it…"

"…By finding anything else to do." He moved his hand to settle on Rose's hip and curled his hand into a tight fist over the duvet. "All I'm doing is making things worse. Making mistakes."

"Alone?"

"Yeah."

The Meta winced. "That's your problem, then. We can't be alone." He put his hand atop of his brother's fist. "Find yourself a companion. Find someone who will stop you from making those mistakes."

"I don't want another companion," he answered inside a pained whisper. "I can't do it anymore. I can't get my hearts broken like that again." He sighed. "They all leave. They all break my hearts."

He pulled at the Doctor's hand to pull it around Rose's hip. "You've always got her, Doctor. I guess that means me, too." He shrugged. "To some degree."

"She's yours," he corrected. "And your lives are so fleeting."

"We're both Time Lords," he added quickly. "Me and Rose.  In case you didn't work it out on your own." He grinned. "We even have our very own baby TARDIS."

The Doctor jolted to a sit on the bed. His eyes darkened with horrific speed at the revelation. "What did you just say?"

"I'm sure that your superior Time Lord hearing picked up exactly what I said," he answered with a roll of his eyes. "But to repeat: I am Time Lord, and so is Rose. In fact our Rose Tyler is now Rose of Lungbarrow if you can believe it." He smiled, and then frowned. "Oh, but that puts me back in the house by default, doesn't it. Crap. And after all the effort it took to get myself disowned by Quences in the first place."

The Doctor immediately slid off the bed and began a fast pace beside the bed. He clutched at his hair with both hands as he walked. "No. That's impossible. You're half human. One heart. And Rose. Well Rose was born human, wasn't she?"

"So was our Mother," he reminded. Tentoo rolled onto his back and looked to the ceiling with a tired and frustrated sigh. "It's a long and drawn out story, and I don't want to have to repeat it all over again."

"Tough," the Doctor snarled. He'd stopped his pacing and was now glaring at his brother. "You're going to explain everything to me. Now."

"No." He dropped back down onto the mattress, pulled Rose tightly against him and lay his head deeply in the pillow. "I'm gonna go to sleep. I've been in flight and in battle for a week. I haven't held or even spoken to my wife in all that time. I've had to put up with Dad and with Jack, and I'm exhausted…"

"Tell me."

Tentoo actually jerked at his brother's proximity. Somehow he'd moved soundlessly across the room and was practically on the bed behind him. "By Rassilon, wear a bell will ya?"

"Tell me."

Tentoo rolled his eyes and slid off the bed to escape the glare of his brother and to put adequate distance between them. Sure, he felt he could take him on a good day, but he was bordering close to  _Storm_  territory right now. He wasn't in quite the right frame of mind to engage in  _that_  battle right now. "It's really none of your business," he snapped as he stalked out of the room hoping beyond all hope not to be followed.

"It's definitely my business," the Doctor growled, hot on the heels of his Meta Crisis self. He grabbed at his forearm and pulled him to a stop. "So start talking."

Tentoo tugged his arm free and stalked down the stairs. "Piss off," he snarled. "You're not even  _you_  in our timeline. Eleven knows the tale, that's what matters."

The Doctor ran down the stairs behind him. "What has that got to do with anything."

"Nothing," he growled as he spun on his brother. "I just thought it particularly biting to remind you that you're not even you anymore."

The Doctor would have launched at his brother with a rather impressive right hook had he not caught sight of a room full of wide eyes and gaping mouths. None more gaped than the Matriarch of the group.

"Will you both _please_ show a little decency and put some clothes on?"

"What," Tentoo queried innocently as he first opened his arms and then drew the fingers of both hands down along his T-Shirt and Boxer Briefs. "I'm covered."

"You are both indecent," Marissa shrieked. "And there are ladies present."

"No no," Amy was quick to say. "It's perfectly okay with us."

"Indeed," River purred inside a laugh. "It looks as though the lads have something serious happening between them that needs working out. That should be their priority right now, not their clothing… or lack thereof."

"Oh yes," Amy agreed. "Sorting out the issue. It's Big… Big, uh. Vital. Yes. Vital to sort that out." She cleared her throat. "Talking out the issue is definitely much more important than clothing." She leaned over to Jack, who was similarly gape-mouthed at her side. "Did my voice just squeak?"

He nodded, his mouth still hung. "Yes and yes. And then yes. I agree wholeheartedly with Uhm…" His hand twirled in the air. "With Amy and Lake, oh, sorry, River."

Amy covertly held up her fist, Jack low-pumped it. She then leaned down toward her daughter, not taking her eyes off the twin Doctors.  "River…?"

"Yes. I'm taking photos. Or trying to at least.”  She threw the phone on Amy’s lap.  “Where's the app on this damn phone of yours?"

"You better put me on that mailing list for the pictures, ladies," Jack growled on a low purr.

The Doctor rolled his eyes and shook his head. Bunch of juveniles. He glared back at his brother, who seemed to be searching his black boxer briefs for pockets to thrust his hands into. "Tell me what I need to know."

"Want and need," Tentoo corrected. "Two different things. You don't _need_ to know a thing, you just _want_ to know because not knowing something burns you."

"This involves Rose," he snapped back. "I  _need_  to know what in Rassilon I did to her."

"Don't flatter yourself,” Tentoo argued hotly.  “It wasn't you. Not everything is about you, you sanctimonious git."

The Doctor clutched fistfuls of fabric on the chest of the Meta's undershirt. "You will tell me, or so help me I'll put you into regeneration."

"Go ahead."

"Don't tempt me."

"Ulysses, do something about your sons fighting," Marissa ordered sharply.

"Oh. I'm not getting in the middle of that," Ulysses replied sharply.

"Ulysses, I swear on the name of Lungbarrow…"

"Doctor, Tell your brother what he needs to know," Ulysses growled as he drew off the lounge and padded a slow and careful stalk toward the two semi-dressed Doctors. "Don't upset your mother."

The Doctor curled a victorious lip. He folded his arms across his chest and slouched a victorious tilt in his hip.  "Do as Dad says."

Tentoo wore that defeat like a thick coat as his shoulders sagged low. Inside a second, though, he straightened up. "Right. You want to know. All of it?"

"Yes," he answered in an exasperated sigh.

Tentoo leaned backward slightly, grinned, and then launched forward to drive his forehead against the Doctor's forehead in a head butt that thundered a horrific crack throughout the room. Both Doctor's staggered backward from each other, each of them shaking their heads to find their balance.

Martha and Amy let up a sharp cry of shock at the attack, but were held back from moving toward the two men by the strong forearms of Nine and Eleven holding them back.

"What the hell was that," Martha shrieked to both men. "Don't you know how dangerous that is?"

"He's fine," Marissa advised with a shake of her head. "They're both fine."

"I have to check them out," Martha insisted. "They could have concussion."

"They'd have to have brains to get that," Marissa growled. "And I am truly beginning to believe that neither of my son's have brains in their heads."

"But…"

"Martha," Eleven called in a gentle voice. "They're fine. My brother just did what my father told him to do."

"Which was?"

"That," he said in a strained voice as he tried to suppress his chuckle at the continued unsteadiness of the twins to his front. "That was what I like to call the Express Post method of telepathic transfer. Best way to get across a big packet of information in a single transfer." He clapped his hands once, loud. "Bang! Instantaneous memory transference."

Martha passed a worried look toward the twins. The Meta Doctor was standing steady and had a worried look of question on his face. The Original Tenth Doctor was steady, but his head was low and he looked with horror and confusion toward his brother, obviously lost for words.

"Now that you know everything you've missed these past twelve months," Tentoo finally said along a hoarse whisper. "What do  _you_  suggest we do?"

"First things first," he answered low, his confusion giving way to fury. "Go wake her up. I think it's about time we accepted Torchwood's invitation, don't you?"

"Oh," he chuckled. "I couldn't agree more."


	74. Tentoo's Offer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tentoo gives the Doctor one chance ... one .. to make it count.

Marissa watched her twin son's darkly agree on levelling Torchwood with rapt interest. It wasn't so much that her sons were both in furious agreement that their next movement was going to involve pain and suffering upon those who had threatened their family. No. What had her complete fascination was the fact that the two barely dressed men in front of her were completely identical.

Twins were a relatively common occurrence on Earth. She'd seen several sets, both fraternal and identical when she lived on Earth. But the existence of Twins upon Gallifrey? No. It simply didn't happen. Never. The looming process was far too intricate and complicated to weave out children identical to another. The approval process for children to be loomed was also a hindrance to the possibility. Never had Rassilon and his council allowed a loom to weave more than one child at a time. Cloning was illegal.

But here they were. Twin Doctors. Identical in every way imaginable. Their voice, their words, their rise to anger, their stance, their breathing, their vengeful minds … and most fascinating: Their universe shattering love for one woman.

That same fire burned within the other two men named Doctor seated to her left and right upon couches filled with loyal companions who had shifted beyond just friendship to teeter at the edge of becoming family. The fire burned within them both, but not with the intensity that flared within the twin Doctors.

…And that intensity scared her. If their passion was such that they could be so hostile against each other just because of their shared love for her, just how vicious were they capable of becoming against someone who scorned or hurt that beautiful Rose?

"Don't worry, beloved," Ulysses crooned into her ear. He'd obviously seen her concern in her posture. "Our son had the foresight to call upon those who keep him grounded. He'll be fine."

"He's too much like you," she admitted softly. "There's no power that can stop him if his beloved is in peril."

"So far he has done well to ground himself." He kissed at her temple. "Trust him. All of him."

She looked quickly toward the twins as they walked upstairs, no doubt to try to wake rose and to hopefully put on some clothes. "Your name," she called up.

Tentoo turned with a frown of question. "Pardon me?"

"Speak your name – the name that  _we_  gave you – and she'll wake."

His mouth opened lightly in understanding. "Ahh. Yes. Right." He dipped his head in thanks. "Get ready to leave. We leave as soon as she's ready to go."

Ulysses raised a finger. "But, son…"

"With or without you," he stated darkly. "Rose and I are going home."

"That's what  _you_  think," Ulysses growled to himself. "Marissa, I believe your concern is justified. Our fool son is going to rush in."

"Yeah," Nine grumbled with a one-sided grin. "And I'm going to rush in right along with him."

Ulysses levered an unimpressed look toward his son. "But you're going to get changed first, right?" His eyes raked up and down the leather jacket. "Do you need to have your mother to do some laundry for you; because I am sure that you wear your current outfit only because you are out of clean clothing."

"So we're going to continue to do this then," Nine growled. "By my count, you've insulted my outfit four times in the last half hour."

"And I'll continue to comment until you change."

Nine grunted in annoyance and roughly pushed himself to a stand. "Fine then. I'll change. Maybe I'll even opt for what those two idiots were wearing…"

"Oh, please do! Oh yes," Jack bellowed with a laugh. "Go right ahead. Drop your kit now. I'll find the music so you can get to it right here." He winked to River, who was patting at her pockets. "Whatcha doin?"

"I've got some dollar bills in here, I'm sure."

Nine shook his head and turned on his heel. "I'm going to my TARDIS. If you're looking for me then don't. Just don't."

"I can have your mother bring you something appropriate from the wardrobes here, Son."

"Leave me alone."

~~oooOOOooo~~

One thing to be said about the Doctor number Ten: when he had set himself on a mission, he really didn't have much thought or consideration about anything or anyone else. This meant that there was no chivalry between either man as they both tried to enter the bedroom through a door made for one. Their shoulders collided, their hips hit the doorframe. They looked at each other with a growl, and a scowl to demand that they be the one to go through first, and the process began again.

Eventually, the Doctor made it through the doorway first and gave his counterpart a single "HA!" of victory as he circled toward the bed.

Tentoo stalked in behind him and moved to the opposite side of the bed. He gave an almost creepy, sleezy grin of jubilance. "Yeah. Well, gloat all you want, _loser_. Sleeping Beauty is  _mine_  after all."

Both men slid onto the bed either side of Rose. Tentoo dropped his face first to whisper her wake up call in her ear, but found himself stopped by the Doctor. "What?"

The Doctor had his hand firmly wrapped around his counterpart's upper arm.  “I didn’t want to acknowledge it before, but now I sense it, I can feel her here.”  He tapped his temple.  “In my mind.”

Tentoo nodded slowly.  “You’re questioning whether or not her changes included telepathy.”

The Doctor nodded slowly.  “These feelings, and urges I have toward her.  I can’t fight them anymore like I used to.”  He looked toward Rose.  "Which can only mean that you two are permanently bonded.”  He exhaled a shaking breath.  “Am I right?"

Tentoo nodded.  “It’s a new bond that’s still settling.  I imagine that when it finally settles you’ll have more control over the baser urges that the bond causes."

He nodded with a slight wince. "I’m trying to block it as much as I can…" he looked up. ”But for very obvious reasons, it’s very difficult to do."

Tentoo nodded in understanding. "I get it, yeah." He sat back onto his heels. "You’re a master at controlling your desires.  I know that.  So try harder.”

“If you’re bonded to her in the holy sacrament of a Gallifreyan marriage,” The Doctor continued on a whisper.   He looked back to his counterpart.  "Then you've been able to speak our name to her.”

Tentoo nodded. "Yes. Of course. It's part of the ceremony, I couldn't have achieved a full pairing bond with her if I…" Realization dawned and he let his mouth hang open for a slight moment. "Oh." He looked to Rose. "Are you suggesting that  _you_ …?"

"I'm going to die soon," he admitted on a quiet voice. His eyes were on the sleeping woman. "I've heard my name spoken by a woman who wasn't  _her_ , who I am apparently  _supposed_  to marry sometime in my next regeneration." He looked to his twin. "I heard it said, and I've never said it. I want the chance to be able to speak it into the ear of the one I  _know_ deserves to hear it. The one that I know I love."

Tentoo nodded. "I can understand that. But." He frowned a tight knot in his brow. "But it isn't right you know. She's  _my_  bond mate."

"And mine, by default, I guess."

"Well that's a rather glib way of putting it."

The Doctor closed his eyes and let out a breath. "Fair go. I'm not entirely good at this."

Tentoo laughed at that. "Oh yes, you are. You are very good at it in fact. You just seem to completely crash and burn when it when it comes to Rose. Anyone else,  _well_. Reinette ring a bell for you? Joan Redfern? Even the bloody Daleks for that matter." At the Doctor's shocked and confused look he smirked. " _Music. You can dance to it. Fall in love to it_ …"

"That hardly counts, and if you recall, that was you as well." He moved his face down to Rose's ear and looked up imploringly to Tentoo. "Please let me. Give me this?"

"Okay," he managed softly. "I'll give you _this_. I'll let you wake her."

The Doctor smiled weakly in thanks and pressed his lips against the shell of her ear. "Thank you," he said to his brother before he closed his eyes, swept Rose's hair from her ear and whispered a word that was inaudible to the man kneeling only two feet away from him.

Rose woke wish a gasp. Her eyes flashed open and she flew up into a seat. "Oh. Hell. What happened?" She rubbed at her head, and then scratched at her hair wildly with both hands. "Did I actually fall asleep? Again? Really? What in Raxacoricofallapatorius is going on with me lately?  All I want to do is sleep!"

Tentoo swooped in to press an open mouthed, wet kiss against her mouth. He engulfed her mouth completely with his, inhaled a suck against her lips and drew back with a  _smacking_  sound. "Morning, beautiful."  Hr screwed up his face.  “Ew.  Morning breath.”

She slapped his shoulder with the back of her hand before she wiped at her mouth with it. "Sloppy. Very unlike you."

He grinned and giggled. "You just looked so positively delicious, all puffy with sleep, glowing…"

She wrinkled her nose. "It's the pregnancy, isn't it?" She asked with a moan. "Carrying a little Time Tot is going to make me sleep all the time, right?" She flicked her head toward the sound of a stunned gasp and found herself shuffling back on the bed toward the headboard. "Doctor?"

"You're pregnant?"

She nodded with a smile and dropped her hand to her belly. "We are."

“Conceived on the loom of Lungbarrow,” Tentoo cheered. 

The Doctor smiled sadly.  "Brilliant," he answered softly. "Congratulations to you both.  I.  I’m really happy for you.  You deserve happiness."

Rose smiled widely at his congratulations.  She lifted her hand to stroke at his cheek.  “And so do you, Doctor.”

He grasped her hand in his, and turned his head to kiss her palm.  “Knowing you’re happy is enough for me.”

“Liar,” she whispered sadly.  Her sad expression lifted to one of surprise to see his state of dress – or lack thereof.  She then passed a curious look toward her own Doctor, who was undressed in the same manner. "Oh-kay," she breathed as she swept a finger between both men. "Care to explain?"

Both men immediately looked guilty. They looked to each other, and then looked anywhere except Rose or each other. In a freakish and simultaneous action, both men rubbed at the back of their necks, tugged on their ear, and then cleared their throats.

Tentoo opted to take over in answering her question. " _Well_. Let’s start with the circumstances behind your  _nap_."

"Go on," she urged with a tone of warning.

"Well." He scratched at his sideburn. "Mother thought that you were under a bit of duress, and was very concerned for you – for both of you," he indicated her abdomen. "And so she induced a sleep cycle to keep you calm until I could come back from my excursion."

Her jaw set as she gave a slow nod and licked at her lip. "She knocked me out."

"In a manner of speaking," he said with a wince. "And let me state for the record that I am very _very_ mad at her for it. It was unjust and very rude of her to do that to you."

"I see."

"And so, anyway," he continued quickly. "Because I wasn't here, and with the manner of unconsciousness that you were under, she felt that it would be prudent to allow my other self – the original Doctor here – to sit with you until I came back."

"And to do that," she muttered dryly. "It was necessary to be in your underwear?" She gave a smirk and a playful wink. "Not that I'm really complaining, mind."

The Doctor smiled at that, but let his counterpart continue to stutter through it.

"Well, the underwear thing. Yes. Well." He cleared his throat. "My fault, that. Sorry. This daft git was in bed with you wearing his Oxford and trousers, which I know you don't like. He was exhausted and needed sleep, so I told him to get his kit off if he was going to try to sleep beside you…"

"And you were just okay with this?" Her surprise was somewhat palpable.

"Well no. Not  _really_ ," he admitted with a grouse. "But I knew you'd get mad at me if I kicked this sleepy old Time Lord out, and so." He smiled a guilty smile and leaned back a little to show himself to her. "So I got my gear off, too, and decided to join you."

She huffed a short laugh and shook her head. "Oh-kay."

He gave a shrug at that point. "And then,  _well_ , then we got into a bit of a heated row.  And before we knew it we ended up downstairs wearing only our underwear, got in trouble by mum…"

The Doctor grinned. "We also garnered quite the compliment from Amy and River."

"Oh yes," Tentoo responded with a wide and manic grin and giggle. "We did, didn't we?" He winked to Rose and looked down at himself before he raised his eyes cheekily to her. "You  _lucky_  girl."

"That's somewhat  _debatable_  right at this juncture," she managed with a sigh.

He gave her his very best innocent puppy dog look.

She shook her head with a chuckle. "Okay. So you two rowed?" She saw two nods. "Now. If I know anything about you…" she poked her Doctor in the chest. "When you row, it isn't exactly a quiet affair."

"Well, no. Voices do get raised."

"Then how didn't you wake me?" She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "I'm not exactly a deep sleeper."

"Sleeping beauty," the Original Doctor offered.

"Oh,'" she laughed. "Cursed by the evil mother in law and you had to give me the kiss of true love?" She puckered up to blow kisses at her Doctor.

"No," he answered with a laugh and shake of his head. "Just had to whisper my name in your ear, that's all."

"What:  _Doctor_?"

He shook his head. "No. My real name."

"Which is?"

Both Doctors looked at her with rather confused looks. The Meta angled his head suspiciously to one side. His words were very carefully spoken. "Rose. You've had it spoken to you twice now, how can you say that you don't know it?"

She shook her head. "When you first told me your name, I was dead – so to speak – so I didn't hear it." She drew her fingertip in a circle on her knee. "And you said that you said it to me right now."

"Yes."

"Well I was asleep, wasn't I?" She slumped and dropped her chin onto her knee. "So I didn't hear it. Did I?"

"No," he said with an exaggerated protrusion of his lips. "I guess not."

"So?" she asked hopefully as she looked down at her feet and wriggled her toes. "Are one of you going to tell me what it is; or do I have to wait until another bout of unconsciousness." She passed a look to her husband. "So you can keep your deepest and darkest secret carefully hidden away from me so you can throw another fit at me when I ask you to tell it to me?"

He lifted a finger.  “You’re referring to the _anniversary_ incident.  And in my defence-“

“Tell me,” she interrupted with a smile.  “Please.”

The two Doctors passed a look between each other. Their look lasted a few seconds. They then gave each other a smile and a nod.

"Close your eyes," Tentoo whispered softly as he pressed his hand on her knee to push her legs down. He kissed lightly at her mouth and leaned across her thighs to press his hand into the mattress beside her.

Rose purred at his proximity and at the intimacy of his touch and his voice. She then shuddered to feel the Doctor lean across her legs in much the same manner from the other side of her. Two hands lightly stroked her hair off her ears, and then two different breaths moved across her temples to speak a single word against both ears.

"You can't ever speak it," Tentoo whispered with a scrape of his lips across her cheek as he moved back from her.

"And don't ever forget it," the Doctor said with an identical voice and a similar slide of his mouth against her cheek. "And now you know."

A whimper escaped her lips as she opened her eyes to look upon the twin Doctors with an expression of awe. "That's beautiful," she sighed. "Why would you ever change it?"

Tentoo cupped her jaw in his hand and drew his thumb across her cheek bone. "So moments like this are more special." He moved his face closer and brushed his lips against hers. "So we have something between us that only the two of us share."

Rose gave a whimper from deep inside the back of her throat.

Tentoo smiled and slowly let his eyes close. "That's my favourite sound in the entire universe, you know that?" Then he dropped his mouth to hers in a firm and possessive claim.

The Doctor shook his head with a sad smile as he watched his counterpart and Rose come together in a deeply passionate kiss. "Truthfully," he admitted as he slid his arm from in between the pair and angled himself to escape. "We hate the name. He's just trying to be a romantic fool."

Rose's hand snatched out to grab at his undershirt as he tried to leave. "Wait," she panted as she tore her mouth from her husband's. "Don't go yet."

"Oh," he replied with a wink and a look toward Tentoo. "It's a little crowded in here right now. Not much input I can give." He leaned up on his knees and kissed the top of her head. "You two kids have fun. I'll just be downstairs." His eyes scanned for the location of his trousers and shirt, but as he moved to slide off the mattress to retrieve them, Rose's hold held him back.

"No," she whimpered. "But?"

He petted her hand. "I'm not leaving this time without saying goodbye," he promised. "I just don't fancy hanging around in here while you two do what you need to do." He could see the lock of her eyes on his mouth and knew exactly what was on her mind. He licked at his lip, moved slightly forward as though to capture her mouth with his, but then stopped and shifted back. "I have to go get dressed."

Tentoo looked between the two of them. The lost looks, the aborted movements, the bit back words. It was bordering on pathetic. With a sigh and a forced smile. He slid off the bed and gave the Doctor a rather rough push back toward Rose.

The Doctor scowled. "What're you doing?"

The Meta leaned down and snatched his trousers off the floor. "You get one shot, Doctor. One."

"One shot to do  _what_?"

Tentoo didn't look at him, nor did he look at Rose. He pulled on his trousers and circled his finger in the air toward his Time Lord brother. "Kiss her."

"What?"

"I'm gonna look the other way one time. Once. Just one time," he babbled. "I don't care how you do it, tongue, no tongue, open mouth, closed. Just. Only one time, Doctor." He finally looked at his brother and pulled on his Oxford. "However you two go about it. Just make it count, okay?"

"Do  _I_  get a say in that,  _Sweetheart,_ " Rose asked with only a mere hint of real annoyance. "Or do just have to accept you pimping me out to your mates?"

"He's hardly a  _mate_." He continued to do up the buttons of his Oxford as he leaned a low stoop to snatch a quick kiss against her mouth. "We all get three, yeah? Here's card number one." His voice turned serious as he fastened the last button. He traced his thumb along her bottom lip. "You need it. I know he needs one." He swallowed hard and thumbed to the door. "I'll be downstairs. Please don't make me wait too long."

"I love you," she assured him quickly, and firmly, as he opened the door to walk out.

He paused a second, took a breath, and then smiled and gave her a wink. "Love you, too, Rose." He nodded to where the Doctor sat on the mattress. "Now give the man a kiss, will you?"

The Doctor relaxed down heavily on the mattress. He looked up to Rose with a rather wounded and confused look, but he made absolutely no move to take the Meta Crisis up on his offer to pounce upon Rose and lay one of her.

Rose shuffled along the mattress toward the Doctor. "Somehow," she offered lightly as she circled her arms around his arms to hold her hands on his chest and set her chin on his shoulder. "He's failing to realize that the  _moment_  has passed." She feigned a rather convincing giggle. "I suppose we could just fake it, pretend it happened and make him happy."

"The moment hasn't passed," he breathed. He held at her hands and lowered his head as his thumbs stroked against her knuckles "Not for me at least. And as for making him happy," He clutched at her hands tighter to pull her closer against his back. "He's agreeing to this to make  _you_  happy. Not him. Right now, he's probably on the other side of the door doing everything he can to keep himself calm so he doesn't burst back in here and actually kill me."

"Then we shouldn't…"

"No," he growled as he let go of her hands and turned in her hold. His hands flew up to clutch possessively at her face. "We should," he murmured, letting his eyes fall from her shocked expression and down to her lips. "We absolutely, positively, definitely should." He pressed his lips to hers in a short, exploratory touch. "We have to, Rose."

The Doctor's mouth hovered over hers, but didn't descend into touch. Rose wondered if the hesitation was his own, or if he was merely waiting for her to close that gap and initiate the connection. "Are you sure?"

"I've never been more sure of anything in any of my lives." He descended on her at that moment, both his mouth, and his body.

Rose gasped at his ferocity and found herself writhing underneath him unsure if she wanted escape, or if she wanted him to continue the onslaught of hands, tongue, lips and body. The claim against her mouth was territorial, possessive, hard and bruising. There was no doubt in her mind that she would wind up with a bruise around the edge of her lips when he was done.

His hands were as possessive as his mouth was, and they dug into the miniscule space between them to stroke and touch at every part of her that his could reach without taking his mouth from hers. It wasn't until her heard her whimper – that sound that his brother claimed was the most beautiful sound in the universe that he managed to pull himself away from her. He did so quickly and put immediate distance between them.

Rose found her shuffling back just as quickly as the Doctor did. Both of their breaths were heavy and fast, and both of them had to take a moment to calm themselves down and centre themselves before either could walk from the room.

Rose recovered first. She climbed off the bed with what he interpreted as reluctance.

"Rose," he called as she wandered toward the doorway.

She turned quickly, giving him a wide smile as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "Yes, Doctor?"

"Did it  _count_ ," he asked somewhat shyly. "Do you think?"

Her grin widened and she had to give a tiny laugh at his apparent insecurity. She skipped to the bed and pressed her hands into the mattress to drop down and kiss him on the mouth, slow, short, and tender. "Oh yes," she said as she pulled away and drew her finger along his brow to sweep his fringe from his eyes. "It certainly did."

"Do you think," he ventured as he frowned a glance down at himself and then passed a somewhat pained look in her direction. "That he'd be so accommodating to…" He blew out a breath. " _Dancing_?"

She backed out of the door with a cheeky smile and a knowing laugh. "Would you?" She closed the door behind her to leave him in the room alone.

The Doctor sank into the bed with a wince of discomfort and a pounding pair of hearts inside his chest. "No, Rose. I certainly wouldn't."


	75. Underneath the Time Lords Robes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just what do the Lords of Time wear underneath those thick and heavy Time Lord robes?

The very first thing to assault Rose when she stepped out of the room and into the short hallway toward the stairs was the delightful aroma of beer battered Haddock and Chips doused in malted vinegar with just a sprinkling of salt. Her mouth instantly watered and her tastebuds tingled in an almost painful manner as she practically glided in air toward the source of that delicious scent.

As she descended the stairs, her eyes drifted shut and her lips stretched in a smile to simply inhale just a little more of that amazing scent. A purr of absolute longing rumbled from deep within her belly, and it took every single ounce of self control not to launch into a run and rip open whatever packaging stood between her and a good feed of London fish 'n chips. She made it to the bottom of the stairs and remained in total control of her salivating self until she spied a pair of white plastic bags, the contents of which were currently spread across a the coffee table, being scarfed down by a rather large grouping of Humans and Time Lords. Her breath quickened, as did her approach.

"Hungry?"

Rose looked up to find that a rather handsome Time Lord stood between her and what was left of the bounty on the table. She lengthened her face to attempt to pull off her very best hungry little street urchin expression and nodded her head. "Very. There any left?"

"No," he breathed in a very apologetic tone. "Not with that mob of seagulls." He blew out a breath that could have been stunned, could have been impressed, could even have held a mite of terror. "You should have seen it, Rose. Terrifying. There was plastic, paper, fish and batter and chips and vinegar flying all about the place. The food didn't stand a chance." He scratched at his jaw in wonder. "I really didn't think it would be considered a delicacy for the Time Lords, but apparently it is; which is odd because we do have a creature on Gallifrey that is remarkably similar in both taste and texture, but is considered rubbish." He shrugged. "Probably because it’s a swampland animal, and they are typically regarded as being inedible to the more affluent families in the mountain regions. Could be the way you Londoners prepare it that makes it appetizing to the sensitive Time Lord palate. Has to be. I think I might've actually heard Dad purr at one point there."

Rose gave a very disappointed sigh. "Not even a single chip?"

"I think a finger might've gotten bitten off after being mistaken for one, even."

"Oh." Her bottom lip poked out and she slid her hands down deep into her pant pockets. She managed to lever up her very best look of begging. "Any chance that I can convince a really, really, handsome and wonderful and brave and perfect and sexy Time Lord into heading back to London and getting some more?"

"Flattery will get you everywhere," The Doctor chuckled against her ear as he shifted a third white plastic bag in front of her. He had the bag dangling off only his index finger, but managed to swing it from side to side without much difficulty. "Who says I don't always go in with a plan? I picked up extra just in case."

Rose squeaked an excited giggle and jumped up onto her toes to plant a sloppy kiss on his cheek. "You are a gentleman and a scholar and I love you," she joked as she snatched the bag from his finger and jogged to the table.

"A kiss on the cheek," he scolded in disappointment. "That's  _it_? C'mon, Rose, I think that deserves at the very least a thorough snog."

Rose had spun to shot back a comment that would most likely be deemed extraordinarily inappropriate for present company, but only managed to let out a squeak of surprise to find herself suddenly engulfed in a strong set of arms and picked up off the floor.

"Rosie!"

Her squeak turned into an excited thrill and Rose threw her arms around his neck and curled around him. "Jack! Oh my God, it's so good to see you."

He chuckled throaty laugh against her ear and winked across the room to where Tentoo stood watching with a knowing shake of his head. "You know, Rosie," he teased. "I've got you in a position where I can whisk you away from here and have my absolute wicked way with you."

Rose pursed her lips and looked to how he held her in a cradle hold against his chest, her legs practically over his shoulder. "It would seem that way," she agreed softly. "But," she warned in a loud, but conspiratorial whisper. "You have four versions of my husband here."

"I can see how that might cause a little inconvenience." He winked. "But it's not something I can't handle."

"Have you met his  _father_ , yet?" Ulysses boomed in a very dark, but playful growl.

Jack stiffened in a dramatic manner. "The Doctor's Dad. Now  _him_ , I might piss myself over."

Rose giggled and looked over Jack's broad shoulder at the remaining gathering. Her face fell into shock and she began to wriggle in Jack's arms to find freedom. "Mickey," she whimpered. "Mickey!"

"Hi Rose," he cheered back with a salute of his can of Coke in greeting.

"Jack," she squeaked. "Let me down!"

"Oh fine, then. But I have first call, okay? Any  _Good to see you smooching_  first rites go to Captain Jack." He let her feet down and found himself practically thrown back as Rose leapt over three sets of legs to throw herself at her ex-Boyfriend's chest.

She couldn't help the tears. She couldn't help but weep as she clutched against Mickey for all she was worth. "I missed you so much," she sobbed against him. "You don't know how much I've needed you this little while."

He held her tightly against him. He was as happy to see her as she was him. "I'm always here, Rose," he vowed. "Always here for you."

She shook her head. "No, you're not. You're not even a phone call away anymore." She held him tighter. "You're my best friend, and you left me."

"Oh, you had himself," he answered with a look up to the Doctor, who looked incredibly stunned by Rose's outburst. "Thought he'd be all you wanted."

She pulled back from him and swiped clumsily at the tears on her cheeks. "I needed my best friend," she accused him sadly. "I'm lost in there without you, Mickey."

He stroked her back with his usual patient tenderness.  He waved off Tentoo's approach and deliberately ignored the look of concern and panic on the Time Lord’s face. "What's goin' on, then, sweetheart? Why're you so upset?"

Rose merely clutched at him tighter.

Right. Mickey didn't like this. Not at all. Not one bit. His Rose was a strong girl. She didn't fall apart like this – ever – in fact the only time he ever saw her anywhere near this shape was back when she thought she'd lost the Doctor. Obviously this time around that wasn't the case. She had four of them here, and judging by the look of concern and the hovering being done by the one who'd picked them all up, she wasn't short for love and affection.

"What's happenin', Rose," he cooed softly. "Why'd we get brought here, then? What is it that you and the boss can't handle alone?"

Rose drew her had back from his shoulder and swiped angrily at her sodden eyes. "Torchwood," she growled.

"Oh Hell," he managed along a worried breath. "What've they done, Rose?" He suddenly felt a shot of absolute panic stab through him. Rose's sorrow could only be attributed to…

He pushed her from him and clutched tightly at her upper arms. "Jackie. Is she alright?" His eyes teared up to see her wince and cover her eyes in her hands. "Right.  That’s it.  I'm gonna flatten the place," He growled. "Flatten it completely and-" His eyes caught the Doctor's, and he quickly hauled himself up to walk around Rose and round on him. "And what were you doin', eh? You're supposed to be the one protectin' them."

"And I'm doing it," the Doctor snapped back. "By bringing you all here, I'm making a stand against Torchwood in a way that will make sure they can't ever come back."

"In the meantime, they've, what, killed Jackie?"

"No!" The Doctor yelled, momentarily stunned by the yelp from his wife at Mickey's words. "No. She's not dead, Mickey." He held his hands outward and passed a look between an irate Mickey Smith and a demolished Rose Tyler. "She's not dead. Okay? Jackie is fine. Pete and Tony are fine."

"No they're not," Rose demanded sharply. "Torchwood have them. I have the messages on my phone from Mum, from them!"

Mickey growled. "Give me your phone," he snarled. "Let me 'ave a look at what they're saying."

"Trust me," the Doctor assured. "They're fine." He moved quickly toward Rose and very slowly moved his hands to be able to touch her. He slid his hands up along her arms, then over her shoulder, and finally, tenderly, cupped her cheeks with both hands. He dipped at his knees to lower himself to her height. "I promise you, Rose. I do. I promise that we've put the very best protections in place that we're capable of providing."

She raised her hands to cover his with her own. "How?"

Eleven spoke at that moment. During the din, he'd moved from the chair and had taken up position beside Mickey. "Based on the information that the Doctor was able to give regarding the known holding locations at Torchwood, I was able to have my TARDIS scan and then put in place several time locks – or bubbles – to prevent anyone getting in or out of the holding rooms."

"Which means what?" Rose questioned in a croaked voice as she pulled the Doctor's hands from her face and held onto them as she moved in against his chest.

“I'll admit that it isn't an idea situation for them," Eleven admitted with a rub at the back of his head. "But it means that they're being held inside a time bubble, an impenetrable shield. Nothing. Absolutely nothing can get in or out."

"It's Time Lord technology," Ulysses added warmly. "It's held in place by the TT Capsule, and can only be removed by that specific Machine."

Tentoo joined the explanation. "It takes a lot of power to be able to hold that lock in place. She's drawing on all of her reserves right now, and it's why she's powered down outside; why I was the one to leave here and not him." He jutted his chin toward Eleven. "He can't move his TARDIS right now, because we might lose that protection."

"But all of these messages," she argued.

"Are scare tactics," Tentoo assured. "That's all." He tipped her face to his to encourage her to look at him. "Rose. Look at me." When her eyes met his, he smiled. "If I thought for a moment that they were in immediate danger, do you think that any of us would be sitting around here eating fish and chips and playing about?"

Ulysses grunted in agreement.  "This is more than all of us having time machines and heading back to before this all took place," he said sternly, only softening his voice at a sharp look from Tentoo. "While we  _can_  do that, we don't particularly like to…"

"Being a part of the existing timeline and all, thank you cellphone technology," Eleven groused in interruption. He stepped back at a sharp glare form his father.

"As my son so rudely informed – over the top of his father's words I will add," his glare didn't shift from his wilting child. "We are part of events because of the text communications from Torchwood.  This greatly hampers our ability to return to before your family were taken."

"Paradoxes and all that," Rose muttered.

"You may now be the daughter of Time," he said with a warm smile. "But even you – Rose Tyler of Lungbarrow – you can't ignore her laws."

Rose nodded. "I understand." She looked back up at her husband. "You have’ta promise me that for now they're safe? Promise me, Doctor."

"I promise you," he vowed as he pressed a pair of kisses to the swollen underneath of each eye. "The TARDIS will warn us if she can't hold the lock any more." He looked up to see Ten walking the final two steps of the stairs leading to the group; his face stunned and horrified at what he was hearing. "And if she begins to struggle before we have all of our plans in place, then we have access to other TARDISes who can take over that protection on her behalf."

"That includes my TARDIS," Ten offered. His face was set in a frown of confusion, and he wasn't fully up to speed on events, but there was no way that he would not provide any assistance necessary. His brothers could catch him up when there was time.

"My beautiful girl is in too," Nine offered from the doorway. "She seems to be getting the feeling that she's being left out of something and is getting a little ansty."

Ten cast a look to his Ninth self and let a brow rise high on his forehead as he inhaled a rather amused snort. "What in the name of the Gods are you wearing?"

The entire room took Ten's words to mean that there was something worth looking at and all turned toward the doorway, where Nine stood tall underneath an elaborate arched golden collar atop a deep crimson robe trimmed with golden embroidery. He wore what could only be described as a golden helmet, gilded and embellished with braided gold a symbol of eternity down his brow.

Ulysses was thrilled. "Well that's more like it, Son."

"There, ya happy now, Dad?" he said with a groan. "No more leather and denim for you to bitch and whine about."

"Well," Ulysses muttered with a hand cupped on his jaw as he looked over his Son. "I didn't quite expect you to take it to this extreme, but I do have to admit that I am impressed by your dedication to be a facetious little bastard."

"Ulysses!"

"Sorry, dear."

Tentoo felt Rose chuckle lightly against him, and allowed himself to be equally amused. "What on Gallifrey possessed you to go to the lengths of pulling on the Prydonian robes and headgear just to spite the old man?" He thumbed to their father. "Him? You let  _him_  goad you into gold and velvet, when you could've just gone with the cricket gear and the stalk of celery to fancy it up a notch."

"Well if you're gonna do it," Nine sniffed arrogantly.

Eleven shook his head and thumbed at his nose in amusement. "You look like a fool."

"He looks like a proud man of Gallifrey," Ulysses corrected with a growl. "A Time Lord."

Mickey snorted a loud sound that echoed off the walls of the living room. He couldn't help but laugh. " _That's_  how a Time Lord  _actually_  dresses?" He passed a look past each of the men named Doctor and only laughed harder as he imagined each of them in the same outfit. "That's just fantastic."

Rose peeled herself away from Tentoo and wiped at her fast drying eyes as she approached Doctor number Nine. "These are the robes of the Prydonian Chapter, are they?"

He let his eyes follow her slow and deliberate walk as she assessed his attire. "They are."

She licked at her lip and nodded thoughtfully. "I remember seeing robes that looked like this in display cases when River and I were at Cadon. And…" She looked to River with a smile as she wiped at her nose with the sleeve of her hoodie. "And we did have a question about it, didn't we, River?"

River's eyes flared just a moment as she let her mind wander back to Cadon and the animated discussion they'd shared regarding the robes. In a short moment, her face broke out a wide grin. "Oh yes. We did, didn't we, Rose?"

"Mmhmm," Rose hummed as she strode a swayed-hip stroll toward Nine. Ten, Tentoo and Eleven all covered their mouths in a hand in amusement. Each of them knew that  _that_ particular stride of hers, that coy sway of her hip, meant that she was up to something.

Nine had his suspicions and made sure to stand a little straighter in the hope that looming over her as a powerful Time Lord of Gallifrey might make her think twice about doing whatever it was she was considering doing. He dropped his chin to leer down over her; so tiny by comparison. "What?"

"What  _what_?" She asked innocently as she looked around at the wide silhouette of the robe.

"What is it you want to know," he asked. Did his voice break just slightly on that question? She was looking at him far too closely, and with far too cheeky a glint in her eye.

By Rassilon, this woman could unnerve him.

Rose raised her eyes to him and gave him one of her best tongue in teeth smiles.

He whimpered.

"So is it like a Scottish kilt, then?"

His panic fell somewhat at that rather out of left field question. "What?"

"Is it like a kilt," she repeated with a tilt of her head. She bit at her smile as she heard both Ten and Tentoo bust out laughing, followed rather closely by Mickey and Amy. Amy, who then darted from the couch to take up position as one of the Three Musketeers what was Rose, River and Amy.

"C'mon, Doctor," Amy drawled. "Enquiring minds want to know."

"This," he huffed with a proud breath. "Is not a tartan skirt, it's a crimson robe. I wear the crest of Rassilon, not a sporran."

"Yeah, yeah," Rose drawled with a roll of her eyes. "We don't care what's on top of it, Doctor." She winked. "We're more concerned with what's worn  _underneath_  it."

His pride fell to confusion and he let his head, and his shoulders, drop. "Excuse me?"

"Well, sweetie," River purred with a roll of her tongue. "What do the Time Lords wear under their Time Lord robes?" She licked at her lip, amused by his peep of discomfort, and eyes him up and down. "Do we hide the leather and denim, do we wear a tunic and trousers? Is there a under the robe silk slip, or…"

"Oh, don't say it, please," he begged.

"Or are you completely down to the suit you were born in?"

"I wasn't born in a suit," he managed weakly. "I was loomed … oh … yes … well." He cleared his throat, levelling a glare at his brothers who seemed to be getting much enjoyment out of his embarrassment. "Well," he began on a much more confident and darker voice. "Why don't you look and find out?". He grinned down at Rose and mimicked her tongue in teeth smile of tease. "Plenty of room in here for two."

"Oh hold on a minute," Tentoo warned.

Nine shot him a wide and toothy grin as he snatched open his robe and moved on Rose to enclose her tiny body completely within it. He locked her in place with his hands over the seam of the robe. "Tell me, Rose Tyler, what am I wearing underneath my robe?"

"Oh. My. God," she whimpered out. "He's completely naked under here! Completely and utterly naked and oh!" A throaty chuckle. "I can see why they call you a  _Lord_." She blew out a wolf whistle.

"Oh," Tentoo huffed as he pulled up his shirt sleeves and took a step forward. "Really?  _Really_?"

Nine was aghast. "No! I'm not!" He flicked open the robe and held his arms wide to show off everything that was under his robe. That included a Cadon Academy crimson tunic and trouser set with a pair of matching crimson calf-high boots.

Rose escaped with a laugh and leaned forward as she pointed up to him. "HA! Got ya."

River let a brow rise high at the statuesque body that had been hidden under too loose trousers and a too big leather jacket. The tunic and trousers showed off the solid physique of the Ninth Doctor. "Well. I am impressed, I must say." She looked to Ulysses with a smile of approval. "I agree with you torturing your son into changing. The Time Lord look does wonders for his attractiveness."

"River," Eleven moaned. "Please."

Nine let the robe fall and took the elaborate collar off his shoulders. He passed a look to Rose and gave her a wink. "Kind of warm in there, wasn't it?"

"You're just lucky you didn't fart," she muttered, and then peeped as Tentoo curled an arm across her collarbone to pull her back against him. "It's like a tent. I would've been gassed into my third regeneration."

He kissed at her temple. "Time Lords don't fart," he advised coolly.

Every single person who had – at any time – been a companion on the TARDIS coughed a crude word of dissent into their fists. Rose rolled her eyes. "You and Jack," she accused with a blank look to Nine. "The both of you would get almost competitive with it."

Jack raised his hands in victory. "And I still stand as champion."

"Oh," Rose moaned pitifully. "That was a hell of a day stuck in that Vortex, I can tell you." She suddenly twisted her head to look at Nine. "Oh. That hasn't happened for you yet, has it. It was only a couple of days before Bad Wolf." She leaned into Tentoo, who drew lines up and down her side with his fingertips. "Just a heads up, though. The exhaust fans failed on the TARDIS and so Jack won." She looked to Amy and River. "It went from who could shatter the windows to who could stand it the longest."

"So it wasn't  _almost_  competitive," Amy offered. "It actually  _was_  competitive."

She shrugged. "I guess, yeah."

Marissa, who had remained fairly silent throughout the exchange, finally wrinkled her nose in disgust and shook her head. "Now that I have been adequately advised on the adjustment required on the manners of my children, I will retire for a shower and cleanse myself of this most disturbing news." She pointed to her husband. "Ulysses. We should make plans to return to Earth as quickly as possible. Do spend some time with your new daughter to coach her on the requirements you have of her."

Rose's eyes widened. "Hold on, what?"

"That's a very good idea, beloved." He turned to address his sons. "Right, lads. I have to work with your Rose on enhancing a couple of her skills before we head back." He indicated a table to the end of the room. "My Son, the Meta Crisis. You have pulled in friends from across space and time, so it is on you to explain to them what you have planned. Do be thorough. Your brothers and I are not part of that plan, and so we won't be able to come to your rescue if you fail."

Tentoo rolled his eyes and shook his head. "We won't fail." He kissed his wife's temple gently before releasing her and thrusting his hands into his pockets to move to what was about to become the briefing table. "We'll do just fine, thank you. I've only been doing this for eight hundred or so years. Oh ye of little faith."

"It's that kind of over confident arrogance that could be your downfall, Son." He ignored the petulant murmuring of his  _youngest_ son and turned to Rose with a professor's air to his stance. "Now, young Lady. We have some work to do, you and I."

"We what,  _wait_ , what?"

He took her hand and led her to the doorway. "You have much that you have to learn, and I firmly intend to teach you. Now come with me. Your lesson awaits."

She shot a look back to her husband, who looked back at her with an apologetic smile. "Doctor?"

"I'm sorry," he mouthed; his expression rueful. "I'm so sorry."


End file.
